Coombe Wood School Review 2026: A health-first secondary with high demand and a clear culture

Health Related Fitness sits at the centre of this school’s identity, and it shapes far more than PE lessons. Founded in 2018, Coombe Wood School has grown quickly, with an 11 to 18 intake and a large cohort moving through a modern building and extensive grounds.

Demand is intense for Year 7 entry, and admissions criteria include feeder school priority as well as distance. For families who do secure a place, the experience is structured and purposeful, with a six-period day and a planned co-curricular block that extends the day beyond lessons on most weekdays.

A defining feature here is clarity. The school’s stated aim of becoming “the healthiest school in the country” is not treated as marketing, it is embedded into routines, expectations, and how students talk about school life.

The leadership story is also relatively recent. Ms Nicole Williams was appointed in February 2022 and began in the role after Easter 2022, arriving with substantial senior leadership experience. Her presence shows up in the consistency of messaging about ambition, community, and culture, and in the way the school frames support as both pastoral and performance-related.

Culture at Coombe Wood is strongly shaped by routine and a shared language. The school day is tightly organised, and the expectation of participation is explicit, whether that is in Health Related Fitness, enrichment, or structured co-curricular options. For many students, this creates security and momentum. For some, it can also feel demanding, particularly if they prefer a looser, more student-led approach to time and activities.

Coombe Wood School’s GCSE performance is best read as solid, with indicators of strong progress for many students from their starting points.

Ranked 1,465th in England and 15th in Croydon for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data)

The Attainment 8 score is 50.6. Progress 8 stands at +0.38, which indicates pupils typically make above-average progress across eight subjects compared with pupils nationally who had similar prior attainment. EBacc outcomes are more mixed, with 17.2% achieving grades 5 or above across EBacc subjects and an average EBacc APS of 4.43.

Sixth form outcomes require a more cautious reading.

Ranked 2,338th in England and 22nd in Croydon for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data)

At A-level, 22.86% of grades were A* to B combined, with 0.95% at A*. Against England averages (A* to A: 23.6%; A* to B: 47.2%), this indicates outcomes below England average overall. For families considering sixth form, the implication is practical: subject choice, study habits, and the support structures around independent learning matter greatly here, and it is sensible to ask detailed questions about subject-level performance and the academic monitoring in Year 12.

Parents comparing local options may find it useful to use the FindMySchool Local Hub to view GCSE and A-level outcomes side-by-side with nearby schools via the Comparison Tool.

The curriculum intent is framed around ambition and coherence, with an emphasis on building knowledge over time rather than treating topics as isolated units. In practice, teaching is designed to break complex content into manageable steps, and to check understanding before moving on, particularly in core subjects.

The school’s Health Related Fitness focus also influences learning more broadly. The point is not simply sport participation, it is stamina, discipline, and routines that support attention and confidence. This tends to suit students who respond well to clear expectations, visible progress measures, and structured feedback loops.

Support for reading is described as a priority, with systems aimed at ensuring pupils who need additional help are identified early and taught appropriately, including phonics where required. The implication for families is that weaker readers are not expected to “catch up quietly”; the school frames reading as a shared responsibility, with a library and adult support built into the plan.

For sixth form leavers, the school’s published destination materials show a wide spread of pathways, including a mix of London and regional universities, foundation years, and employment routes. Recent examples include destinations such as City, University of London, University of Warwick, University of Surrey, Royal Holloway, and St George’s, University of London, alongside gap years and employment outcomes.

Where the school has published a specific headline measure, it states that 20% of students progressed to Russell Group universities in the referenced year. For parents, this suggests a pipeline that does reach highly competitive universities for a meaningful minority, but is not dominated by them.

Oxbridge outcomes, based on the recorded measurement period, show three applications and no offers or acceptances. The most helpful interpretation is straightforward: Oxbridge is not currently a typical pathway here, and students aiming for that route would need a highly proactive plan around super-curricular work, admissions tests, and interview preparation.

Admission is competitive. In the most recent recorded admissions cycle for the main entry route, there were 1,479 applications for 175 offers, which equates to about 8.45 applications per place.

Coombe Wood School’s published admission number for Year 7 entry for September 2026 is 180. Applications are made through the local authority’s coordinated process, and the Common Application Form deadline is 31 October 2025 for September 2026 entry.

The oversubscription criteria are important to understand because the school includes named feeder priority. After Education, Health and Care Plans naming the school, and priority groups such as looked-after children and exceptional medical or social need, the arrangements give priority for continuity of education to pupils from Park Hill Junior School and St Peter’s Primary School, subject to time-on-roll requirements. Distance is used within criteria where relevant and for remaining places.

Distance has also mattered in practice. In 2024, the last distance offered was 0.893 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place. Families should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their precise home-to-gate distance against the last distance offered, and to sanity-check travel time options.

For open events, the school describes an annual September open evening pattern for Year 7, and it reported an open evening for September 2026 entry held on 17 September 2025. Families should treat this as a strong indicator of the usual timing, while checking the current calendar for the next cycle.

Sixth form admissions are handled directly by the school. For September 2026, the published deadline to submit an application is 10 February 2026. The school also publishes minimum entry requirements for A-level study, including GCSE grade thresholds.

Wellbeing is not treated as a bolt-on. The school frames Health Related Fitness as a pillar of keeping students safe, confident, and able to learn consistently, including students who do not typically identify as sporty.

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and the school places emphasis on students having trusted adults they can speak to, alongside structured safeguarding communications and regular reminders about staying safe, including online and in relationships.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described in terms of access to the same curriculum, with classroom adjustments rather than separate tracks. The implication for parents is worth testing in conversation: ask how the school balances mixed-ability teaching with targeted support, particularly at GCSE, and what interventions look like for students who are behind in literacy, numeracy, or organisation.

Enrichment is not left to chance. The school uses a planned approach, including a scheduled co-curricular block at the end of the day on most weekdays. School timings also show that co-curricular provision typically runs 15:10 to 16:00 (except Mondays), which gives families a predictable rhythm for activities and pick-up.

The range of activities is noticeably specific. Enrichment examples include caring for the school’s chickens, beekeeping, documentary club, knitting, and fashion and textiles. The educational implication is clear: this is a school that wants practical experiences and creative making to sit alongside academic work, and it gives students legitimate routes to find an identity beyond exam performance.

Sport is structured and visible, aligned to the Health Related Fitness ethos. Published co-curricular sport schedules include clubs such as Basketball “Topcats” (for different year bands), Touch Rugby, Table Tennis, Girls Football, and Athletics. For many students, the benefit is routine and belonging, with regular clubs that create peer groups and staff relationships outside lessons.

Facilities reinforce this focus. The school describes significant investment in a purpose-built site, including a floodlit 3G football surface, music and drama studios, dance and fitness rooms with sprung floors, and a recording studio. This breadth matters because it supports depth, not just variety. Students who commit to sport, music, or performance can practise in spaces designed for that work, which is often what keeps older students engaged during the exam years.

For sixth form students interested in football pathways, Volenti Academy is presented as a structured development programme that includes technical training, strength and conditioning, and match analysis. Families should treat this as a serious commitment alongside A-level workload, and ask how timetable pressures are managed in practice.

School hours are 08:30 to 15:00, with doors open from 08:00 and a staggered exit. A planned co-curricular block typically runs 15:10 to 16:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with office hours 08:00 to 16:00.

Transport is a genuine advantage in this part of Croydon. The school has described being about 150 metres from Lloyd Park tram stop, and it also positions sixth form access as around eight minutes from East Croydon via tram. For families relying on public transport, this can make a meaningful difference to independence in Year 10 and above.

• Competition for Year 7 places. With 1,479 applications for 175 offers in the latest recorded cycle, the limiting factor is securing admission rather than the day-to-day experience once enrolled.

• Feeder priority can shape outcomes. The published arrangements reserve significant priority for two named feeder schools (Park Hill Junior School and St Peter’s Primary School) under defined eligibility, which can materially affect the odds for families outside those routes.

• Sixth form outcomes are below England average overall. The A-level grade profile and ranking indicate that some students will do very well, but outcomes are not consistently strong across the cohort. Families should ask for subject-level detail and how academic monitoring works in Year 12 and Year 13.

• A structured day suits some students better than others. Co-curricular time is planned into the week, which can be excellent for routine and engagement, but may feel heavy for students who need more unstructured downtime after lessons.

Coombe Wood School is a high-demand Croydon secondary with a distinctive identity: health, fitness, and discipline are treated as foundations for learning, not distractions from it. GCSE performance is broadly solid with encouraging progress measures, while sixth form outcomes require careful, individual judgement based on subject fit and support. Best suited to families who value a structured school culture, want predictable co-curricular opportunities, and can realistically engage with a competitive admissions process.