Harris Primary Academy Merton

Harris Primary Academy Merton continues to perform at an outstanding level, demonstrating a strong commitment to providing a high-quality education and nurturing environment for its pupils. The school emphasizes building positive relationships with both students and families, ensuring that all pupils feel safe, welcomed, and confident in their learning. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, allowing students to achieve impressive outcomes across various subjects, with particular success in the arts. This inspection marks the first routine check since the academy was deemed outstanding in 2017, and it confirms the school's sustained excellence since then.

Strengths

• Exceptional nurturing community where pupils flourish.
• Strong relationships between staff, pupils, and families.
• Ambitious curriculum with a deep body of knowledge.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Rigorous phonics programme leading to strong reading skills.
• High staff morale and a supportive work environment.
• Well-planned extracurricular activities enriching student experiences.

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 Harris Primary Academy Merton attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.0% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Harris Primary Academy Merton 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 Harris Primary Academy Merton had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.3% 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, 13.2% of pupils at Harris Primary Academy Merton were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 21 pupils.

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 Harris Primary Academy Merton received £8,720 and spent £8,790 for each of its 475 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £458,000 (£965 per pupil).

Across all 58 schools of Harris Federation, income was £8,891 and spending £8,882 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 Merton · Merton local authority: places and applications

Harris Primary Academy Merton is part of Harris Federation, which runs 58 schools. The nearest others:

• Harris Academy Merton Mitcham
• Harris Primary Academy Croydon Croydon
• Harris Academy Beulah Hill London
• Harris Academy Morden Morden
• Harris Invictus Academy Croydon Croydon
• Harris Academy Wimbledon London
• Harris Professional Skills Sixth Form London
• Harris Junior Academy Carshalton Carshalton
• Harris Academy South Norwood London
• Harris City Academy Crystal Palace London

What is Harris Primary Academy Merton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Harris Primary Academy Merton is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Harris Primary Academy Merton last inspected by Ofsted?

Harris Primary Academy Merton was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Harris Primary Academy Merton have?

Harris Primary Academy Merton has 486 pupils on roll.

What age range does Harris Primary Academy Merton cover?

Harris Primary Academy Merton for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Harris Primary Academy Merton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Harris Primary Academy Merton?

Harris Primary Academy Merton is at Abbotts Road, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 1JW.