Arise Academy is an independent special school in Croydon for children and young people aged 11 to 19.
- Ages 11–19
- 30 pupils
- Ofsted: Requires improvement
School details
- Type
- Independent special school
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 30 (places for 40)
- Headteacher
- Miss Hayley Gibbs
- Opened
- 17 April 2023
- Council
- Croydon
- School reference (URN)
- 149481
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Croydon council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- An offer, and the council’s agreement
As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it doesn’t have to accept a place: the school has to offer one, and the council has to agree to name it in the plan.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Requires improvement, June 2024; met all standards that were checked (January 2025)
Rated Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, in June 2024.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesRequires improvement
- Personal developmentRequires improvement
- Leadership and managementRequires improvement
- Sixth formRequires improvement
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: Met all standards that were checked (monitoring visit, January 2025).
Independent school standards: did not meet all standards.
Contact and getting there
Cornerstones, 14 Willis Road, Croydon, CR0 2XX
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Supreme Education AP Independent · Ages 11–19 · Ofsted report card (2026) 0.4 miles
- Broadmead Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.4 miles
- The Crescent Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 4–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.5 miles
By need in Croydon: Autism (17) · Moderate learning (11) · Speech and language (6) · Severe learning (4) · Hearing (3) · Physical (3) · PMLD (2) · Dyslexia and SpLD (2)
Questions about Arise Academy
How do I get a place at Arise Academy?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Arise Academy. As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it has to offer a place and the council has to agree to name it.
What ages does Arise Academy take?
Aged 11 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Arise Academy’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Arise Academy?
Cornerstones, 14 Willis Road, Croydon, CR0 2XX, in Croydon.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.