The Minster Junior School

The Minster Junior School is a Church of England junior academy within the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education multi-academy trust. This was its first section 5 inspection, although its predecessor school had been judged good. Inspectors found a school where pupils are happy, safe and proud of their community, with exemplary behaviour and an extensive personal development offer that includes clubs, leadership roles and educational visits. Pupils typically achieve well and are prepared for the next stage of their education. The curriculum is ambitious and inclusive, and pupils with SEND access the same learning with effective adaptations. Reading is a priority, and pupils who need extra help receive support, including phonics teaching. Leadership, governance and the trust share a clear vision and have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and priorities, while safeguarding arrangements are effective and attendance is improving. However, the curriculum is not yet equally strong in every subject. In some subjects, the crucial knowledge and skills are not clearly identified, activities sometimes do not match the intended learning, and pupils can be given too much information or vocabulary at once. In a few subjects, teaching approaches are not yet fully effective in building pupils’ understanding over time, and the teaching of reading is occasionally not sharply focused on the intended learning.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary in lessons and around school
• Pupils are kind, caring and feel safe with trusted adults
• Personal development provision is extensive, including clubs, visits and leadership roles
• Pupils learn to respect difference and understand equality
• The curriculum is ambitious and inclusive for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Staff receive well-considered professional development to identify and support pupils’ needs
• Reading is a priority, with additional support and phonics teaching where needed
• Leaders, governors and the trust have a shared vision and accurate self-evaluation
• Attendance oversight is robust and attendance is improving
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Pupils typically achieve well and are prepared for the next phase

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, the crucial knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and remember are not clearly identified
• Activities in some subjects do not consistently support the intended learning
• Pupils’ working memory can be overwhelmed by too much information and vocabulary at once
• In a few subjects, curriculum vision is not fully realised and pedagogical approaches are less effective
• Reading teaching is occasionally not sharply focused on intended learning, slowing progress towards fluency

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 Minster Junior School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.8% 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, 0.3% of pupils at The Minster Junior School 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 The Minster Junior School had 17.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.3% 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, 13.8% of pupils at The Minster Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 The Minster Junior School received £8,760 and spent £9,701 for each of its 339 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £21,000 (-£61 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of Sdbe Multi-Academy Trust, income was £8,574 and spending £8,660 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 Minster Junior School is part of Sdbe Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• The Minster Nursery and Infants Church of England Academy Croydon
• All Saints Carshalton Church of England Primary School Carshalton
• St Luke's Church of England Primary School London
• St Leonard's Church of England Primary School London
• St Michael's Church of England Primary School London
• Christ Church, Streatham Church of England Primary School London
• St George's CofE Primary School London
• St James's Hatcham Church of England Primary School London
• St Stephen's CofE Primary School London
• St Paul's Church of England Primary School London

What is The Minster Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Minster Junior School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was The Minster Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Minster Junior School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does The Minster Junior School have?

The Minster Junior School has 283 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Minster Junior School cover?

The Minster Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are The Minster Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Minster Junior School?

The Minster Junior School is at Warrington Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 4BH.