A school in Croydon has been named as this year’s biggest climber in the Fairer Schools Index.
The Fairer Schools Index ranks the country’s best performing schools, where teachers are making a difference in the classroom.
Across London, 17 schools made the list including St Thomas the Apostle College in Southwark.
The list was compiled based on research into areas such as pupil demographics, ethnicity and deprivation, along with existing performance-based analytics to ensure the list is not biased.
The index measures schools using a system that compares GS results of students who started from the same point up until Key Stage 2, similar to the current government standard used to create league tables.
Meridian High School in Croydon ranked this year in position 1,561, but was the biggest climber, rising 1,025 places.
The school teaches pupils aged 11 to 18 and offers a range of subjects ranging from artistic classes like Art and Drama to vocational studies like Health and Social care and Hospitality and Catering.
In 2024, 66 per cent of students were able to access their first choice of sixth form or college following their GCSE results.
The school, which puts “inclusivity at the heart” of its learning with personalised curriculums, received a Good Ofsted rating following their most recent inspection in March 2023.
In the last two years the school has achieved a number of awards for its work with pupils with additional needs, along with awards for their work towards promoting positive mental health in the school setting.
In 2023, Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion, Amy Stimpson, was selected from thousands of nominations to win a Pearson National Teaching Silver Award for Excellence in Special Needs Education.
Later in 2024, the school was once again commended for its work with those with inclusive learning needs, when the school achieved the SEND Inclusion Award (SENDIA) in July 2024.
In 2023 the school was also awarded the Thrive School of Excellence award, which focuses on promoting positive mental health in children and young people, by aiding adults to know how to respond to potential issues surrounding mental health.
In January 2024, the school received the Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA), which recognises the work done to support parents and carers in engaging with the school and their child’s learning.