Ark Oval Primary Academy

Ark Oval Primary Academy is a welcoming and inclusive primary school where pupils feel safe, happy and well supported. This graded inspection found effective provision across the inspected areas, including safeguarding, behaviour, personal development, leadership and early years. The school is part of Ark Schools, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic; under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum that begins in Reception and from strong reading and phonics provision. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported to access the same curriculum as their peers, while teachers generally have strong subject knowledge and check prior learning. Pupils show positive attitudes, behave well and take part in a wide range of enrichment and wider development opportunities, including learning about equality, different faiths, British values and health. Governance is effective and staff feel leaders consider their workload and wellbeing. The main area for improvement is curriculum delivery in some wider subjects. Some activities are not focused sharply enough on the essential knowledge and skills pupils need, learning is not always broken into manageable steps, and pupils do not always get enough opportunities to absorb and retain new vocabulary. As a result, some pupils do not build the same depth of knowledge and understanding in these subjects as they do elsewhere.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel safe and happy
• Staff know pupils well and support pupils with SEND effectively
• Consistent behaviour approach helps pupils show respect and keeps disruption rare
• Broad and balanced curriculum begins in Reception
• Strong phonics and reading provision with well-trained staff and effective catch-up
• Teachers generally have strong subject knowledge and check prior learning
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and access the same curriculum
• Pupils show positive attitudes to learning
• Strong wider development programme covering equality, faiths, British values and health
• Range of outings, clubs and visitors enriches learning
• Governance fulfils statutory duties and provides appropriate challenge
• Staff feel leaders consider workload and wellbeing
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is not consistently effective in some wider subjects
• Some learning activities do not focus clearly on the important knowledge and skills
• Learning is not always broken down into manageable steps
• Pupils are not always given enough opportunities to absorb and retain new vocabulary
• Some pupils struggle to remember and articulate what they have learned in these subjects

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 Ark Oval Primary Academy attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.8% of pupils at Ark Oval Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Ark Oval Primary Academy had 25.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 42.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 16.4% of pupils at Ark Oval Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Ark Oval Primary Academy received £7,384 and spent £7,332 for each of its 601 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £380,000 (-£633 per pupil).

Across all 48 schools of Ark Schools, income was £9,191 and spending £9,015 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

Ark Oval Primary Academy is part of Ark Schools, which runs 48 schools. The nearest others:

• Ark Blake Academy Croydon
• Ark Evelyn Grace Academy London
• Ark Bolingbroke Academy London
• ARK John Archer Primary Academy London
• Ark All Saints Academy London
• Ark Walworth Academy London
• Ark Putney Academy London
• Ark Globe Academy London
• Ark Greenwich Free School London
• Ark King Solomon Academy London

What is Ark Oval Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ark Oval Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Ark Oval Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ark Oval Primary Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Ark Oval Primary Academy have?

Ark Oval Primary Academy has 593 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ark Oval Primary Academy cover?

Ark Oval Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Ark Oval Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ark Oval Primary Academy?

Ark Oval Primary Academy is at 98 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 6BA.