St Mary's Catholic High SchoolArk Blake Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Croydon.
Summary of the comparison
St Mary's Catholic High School and Ark Blake Academy are secondary schools in Croydon.
St Mary's Catholic High School scores 58 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Ark Blake Academy scores 59 out of 100 (grade C, average). Ark Blake Academy is ahead on our composite score.
St Mary's Catholic High School was judged the expected standard and Ark Blake Academy was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 46.7 for St Mary's Catholic High School and 43.5 for Ark Blake Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at St Mary's Catholic High School (42.1 in 2021-22, 46.7 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | CroydonSt Mary's Catholic High School | CroydonArk Blake Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C58/100 | C59/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 11th of 23 in Croydon Stronger figure | 22nd of 23 in Croydon | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Expected | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-19 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 565 | 759 | |
| Capacity | 1,115 | 1,200 | |
| Location | Croydon, CR9 2EE | Croydon, CR0 6NA | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 46.7 Stronger figure | 43.5 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 49.5% Stronger figure | 45.5% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 60.6% | 62.2% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 109 | 156 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 564 | 782 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 41.7% | 52.8% | |
| English as an additional language | 61.3% | 33.9% | |
| SEN support | 11.0% | 13.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.5% | 1.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 5.8% Stronger figure | 8.5% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 17.1% Stronger figure | 25.3% | 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
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.
St Mary's Catholic High School
Ark Blake Academy
Full profiles: St Mary's Catholic High School · Ark Blake Academy