The Quest Academy

The Quest Academy is a generally inclusive and orderly school where pupils feel safe and say they belong. Safeguarding standards are met, and inspectors found most areas of provision at the expected standard, including attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development, and post-16 provision. Leaders have acted decisively after weaker 2025 examination results, and current pupils are beginning to benefit from a broad, well-sequenced curriculum, improved behaviour systems and effective attendance work. The school has had recent leadership and staffing changes and is part of The Collegiate Trust; it serves a disadvantaged intake, with free school meals well above the national average. Notable strengths include calm lessons, respectful pupils, effective pastoral support, strong careers and enrichment provision, and good support for disadvantaged pupils. Governance and trust oversight are effective, professional development is a strength, and the small sixth form is inclusive, with students generally learning well relative to their starting points. Achievement is the main area needing attention. Pupils who left in 2025 achieved considerably below national averages, and outcomes vary across subjects and groups; progress for pupils with SEND is more variable. Teaching is not consistently adapted to meet SEND needs or to challenge pupils using prior knowledge, and PSHE delivery is inconsistent, leaving older pupils with gaps. Sixth-form attendance and A-level attainment are below average, persistent absence remains above the national average, and a small minority of parents remain dissatisfied with aspects of the school's work.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.
• Pupils feel safe, included and respected, and bullying incidents are rare.
• Lessons are typically calm and orderly, with low-level disruption minimised.
• Leaders have reduced bullying, discrimination and suspensions.
• Attendance systems are effective and absence has declined notably.
• The curriculum is broad, well sequenced and logically structured.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and use agreed routines clearly.
• Targeted support in reading, writing, handwriting and mathematics helps close gaps.
• Inclusion systems identify needs well, including through pupil passports and feeder-school links.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve consistently well and additional funding is carefully targeted.
• Leadership and governance provide effective oversight and challenge.
• Professional development is a strength, with tailored and research-based opportunities.
• Personal development includes a well-considered enrichment offer and strong careers provision.
• Pastoral support is effective in helping pupils manage emotions, behaviour and wellbeing.
• The sixth form is inclusive, and students learn well relative to their starting points.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement requires attention; 2025 leavers' national examination results were considerably below the national average.
• Achievement varies over time across subjects and pupil groups.
• Progress for pupils with SEND is more variable than for disadvantaged pupils.
• Some pupils have gaps and misconceptions that have not been sufficiently addressed over time.
• Teachers do not always draw on prior knowledge to provide appropriate challenge.
• Learning is not consistently adapted with precision for pupils with SEND.
• PSHE curriculum delivery is inconsistent, leaving older pupils with notable knowledge gaps.
• Sixth-form attendance is below the school's average.
• A-level attainment has remained below average over time, and GCSE mathematics resit outcomes are mixed.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average.
• A small minority of parents remain dissatisfied with aspects of the school's work.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Quest Academy attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 10.3% of pupils at The Quest Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Quest Academy had 14.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.8% of pupils at The Quest Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Quest Academy received £9,598 and spent £8,475 for each of its 908 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £768,000 (£846 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of The Collegiate Trust, income was £7,153 and spending £6,800 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Croydon · Croydon local authority: places and applications

The Quest Academy is part of The Collegiate Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Quest Primary School South Croydon
• Courtwood Primary School Croydon
• Riddlesdown Collegiate Purley
• Kenley Primary School Whyteleafe
• Woodcote High School Coulsdon
• Ifield Community College Crawley
• Gossops Green Primary Crawley
• Waterfield Primary School Crawley

What is The Quest Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Quest Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was The Quest Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Quest Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does The Quest Academy have?

The Quest Academy has 853 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Quest Academy cover?

The Quest Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Quest Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.5, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Quest Academy?

The Quest Academy is at Farnborough Avenue, South Croydon, Surrey, CR2 8HD.