Coloma Convent Girls' School

Coloma Convent Girls' School is a harmonious, safe and happy school where pupils are typically industrious, well behaved and well supported. This full section 5 inspection took place after significant change: the predecessor school closed in 2022, the current academy converter opened under St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, and there have been new leadership and governance arrangements. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school's personal development and wellbeing provision is a particular strength, with a strong Catholic ethos, extensive enrichment, music and careers education. Most areas of provision are at the expected standard. Pupils achieve well overall, with published outcomes in English and maths, Attainment 8 and Progress 8 above national averages, and attendance is good. The curriculum is well designed and teachers generally explain concepts clearly. However, some groups of pupils, including those with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and pupils with lower prior attainment, do not consistently secure or recall key knowledge. Checks on pupils' understanding are not always thorough, and timely support is not consistently provided. Behaviour is generally positive, but support for a small minority is not consistently tailored, and some pupils repeat behaviour that falls below expectations. Inclusion approaches are relatively new, so leaders have limited evidence of their impact, and some sixth-form students with the highest starting points do not achieve as well as their peers nationally. Leaders have an accurate view of the school and are taking action on the right priorities, including improving teaching and inclusion. The next steps focus on making more timely and thorough checks on pupils' understanding and ensuring all groups benefit from adaptations that meet their needs precisely. Overall, this is a school with a strong caring culture and many strengths, but it needs to sharpen its teaching checks and tailored support so that every group of pupils can reach their full potential.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where pupils feel safe.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is a standout strength, developing character, ethics and responsibility.
• Pupils are happy, safe and enjoy school, with positive relationships and a calm, orderly environment.
• Pupils behave well overall; bullying, prejudice and discrimination are not commonplace and leaders address concerns swiftly.
• Attendance is good, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• The curriculum is well designed and logically sequenced towards ambitious end points.
• Teachers use strong subject knowledge to explain concepts clearly and promote vocabulary development.
• A phonics programme supports pupils at earlier stages of reading to access the curriculum confidently.
• There is an extensive range of leadership, extra-curricular and music opportunities, with strong participation monitoring.
• Careers education is comprehensive, with meaningful employer encounters, work experience and strong partnerships.
• Inclusion support generally meets pupils' needs, with targeted academic help, specialist support and pastoral care.
• Leaders, trustees and governors have an accurate view of the school and provide effective oversight and staff support.
• Post-16 provision offers a suitable academic and vocational pathway, with students achieving positive outcomes and ambitious destinations.
• Sixth-form students are positive role models and take on valuable leadership and community roles.

Areas for Improvement

• Some groups, including pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those with lower prior attainment, recall key curriculum knowledge less confidently.
• Published outcomes reflect differences between groups, with some pupils achieving only in line with national averages.
• Teachers' checks on pupils' understanding are not always thorough enough to identify and address gaps promptly.
• Some pupils do not receive timely support to fully understand and remember important curriculum content.
• Behaviour support is not consistent, and a small minority of pupils repeat behaviour below the school's expectations.
• Some pupils need more carefully tailored adaptations and adjustments to behave successfully.
• Some inclusion approaches are new, so leaders have limited information on how well they are working.
• Support for pupils' learning and behaviour is not always tailored precisely enough to help them reach their full potential.
• Some sixth-form students with the highest starting points do not achieve as well as their peers nationally.
• A minority of staff and parents would like communication to improve further.

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 Coloma Convent Girls' School attended 92.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.0% 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, 4.9% of pupils at Coloma Convent Girls' 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 Coloma Convent Girls' School had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.7% 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, 13.2% of pupils at Coloma Convent Girls' School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.3% 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 Coloma Convent Girls' School received £8,756 and spent £8,987 for each of its 927 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,134,000 (£1,224 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, income was £8,412 and spending £8,501 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

Coloma Convent Girls' School is part of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School London
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Bromley
• St James' Roman Catholic Primary School Orpington
• St Vincent's Catholic Primary School London
• Holy Innocents Catholic Primary School Orpington
• St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School Orpington
• St Philomena's Primary School Orpington
• St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School London
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School London
• St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School Sidcup

What is Coloma Convent Girls' School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Coloma Convent Girls' School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Coloma Convent Girls' School last inspected by Ofsted?

Coloma Convent Girls' School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Coloma Convent Girls' School have?

Coloma Convent Girls' School has 967 pupils on roll.

What age range does Coloma Convent Girls' School cover?

Coloma Convent Girls' School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Coloma Convent Girls' School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 56.8, and 62% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Coloma Convent Girls' School?

Coloma Convent Girls' School is at Upper Shirley Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 5AS.