Meridian High School

Meridian High School has made significant strides since its last inspection, moving from a previous grade of Requires Improvement to Good in all evaluated areas. The school promotes a strong ethos of personal development, encouraging students to present their best selves while fostering a supportive environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Relationships within the school community are warm, and incidents of bullying are rare. The curriculum has been ambitiously redesigned to ensure that pupils are well-prepared for future educational pursuits, although the impact on examination results is still developing.

Strengths

• Strong school ethos focused on presenting the best version of oneself
• Pupils feel safe and valued, with warm relationships
• Effective pastoral support for students
• Improvements in behavior noted by pupils
• New ambitious curriculum and clear lesson sequencing
• High expectations for behavior with quick action on disruptions
• Prioritization of reading with personalized support
• Comprehensive careers guidance and support for further education

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent identification and addressing of knowledge gaps in Years 7, 8, and 9
• Low attendance rates for some pupils affecting their learning
• Limited range of enrichment activities beyond sports clubs

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 Meridian High School attended 90.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.9% 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, 15.8% of pupils at Meridian High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Meridian High School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.7% 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, 42.1% of pupils at Meridian High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 11.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 27 pupils and resourced provision with 27 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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Meridian High School received £10,984 and spent £10,471 for each of its 539 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £501,000 (£930 per pupil).

Across all 42 schools of Glf Schools, income was £7,514 and spending £7,514 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

Meridian High School is part of Glf Schools, which runs 43 schools. The nearest others:

• Warlingham Village Primary School Warlingham
• Whyteleafe Primary School Whyteleafe
• Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery Caterham
• de Stafford School Caterham
• Hillcroft Primary School & Nursery Caterham
• Chestnut Park Primary School Croydon
• Merstham Park School Redhill
• Merstham Primary School Redhill
• Lime Tree Primary School and Nursery Merstham
• Banstead Infant School and Nursery Banstead

What is Meridian High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Meridian High School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Meridian High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Meridian High School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Meridian High School have?

Meridian High School has 535 pupils on roll.

What age range does Meridian High School cover?

Meridian High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Meridian High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 29.7, and 17% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Meridian High School?

Meridian High School is at Fairchildes Avenue, New Addington, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 0AH.