Shirley High School Performing Arts CollegeCoombe Wood School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Shirley High School Performing Arts College and Coombe Wood School are secondary schools.
Shirley High School Performing Arts College scores 49 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Coombe Wood School scores 64 out of 100 (grade C, average). Coombe Wood School is ahead on our composite score.
Shirley High School Performing Arts College was judged Good and Coombe Wood School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 37.7 for Shirley High School Performing Arts College and 52.6 for Coombe Wood School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Shirley High School Performing Arts College (47.7 in 2021-22, 37.7 in 2024-25) and has risen at Coombe Wood School (50.1 in 2022-23, 52.6 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | CroydonShirley High School Performing Arts College | South CroydonCoombe Wood School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D49/100 | C64/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 18th of 23 in Croydon | 5th of 23 in Croydon Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-19 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 785 | 1,136 | |
| Capacity | 1,105 | 1,100 | |
| Location | Croydon, CR0 5EF | South Croydon, CR2 7HY | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 37.7 | 52.6 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 23.3% | 55.4% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 49.2% | 74.0% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 31.7% | 87.6% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.20 | 4.94 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 120 | 177 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 48 | 92 | |
| A-level average points | 26.2 | 31.1 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C- | C | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 26.1 | 31.1 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 3.8% | 7.6% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 785 | 1,136 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 53.0% | 31.6% | |
| English as an additional language | 30.6% | 23.2% | |
| SEN support | 24.6% | 8.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.5% | 3.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 11.0% | 6.4% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 35.2% | 17.4% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Shirley High School Performing Arts College
Coombe Wood School
Full profiles: Shirley High School Performing Arts College · Coombe Wood School