David Livingstone Academy
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Academy converter in Thornton Heath, CR7 8HX, taking ages 4 to 11, 198 on roll.
Will an address get in?
In the 2026/27 round, the furthest-away child offered a place at David Livingstone Academy lived 0.462 miles away, according to Croydon. Put a postcode in and it is measured against that distance.
Applying for September 2027? Primary applications close on 15 January 2027, with offers on 16 April 2027. The address on the deadline is the one the council uses. How it works.
The circle is 0.462 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2026/27. Real admission areas are not circular: this is the distance, not a boundary.
What kind of school this is
| Admissions | Non-selective |
| Religious character | No religious character |
| How full | 198 pupils in 210 places (94% full) |
| Trust | STEP ACADEMY TRUST |
| Local authority | Croydon |
Department for Education register (GIAS).
How the school is doing
| Meeting the expected standard | 88.0% in reading, writing and maths (2024/25) |
| Year | Meeting the expected standard |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 88.0% |
| 2023/24 | 73.0% |
| 2022/23 | 57.0% |
Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.
Who goes to David Livingstone Academy
| Girls and boys | 47.5% girls, 52.5% boys |
| English as an additional language | 41.4% of pupils |
| Free school meals | 33.3% of pupils eligible |
DfE school census, most recent published year.
The fee-paying alternative
Weighing David Livingstone Academy against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around CR7: ages, selection, and how full each one is →
Checking the house as well as the school
The full report measures the distance from every nearby school to one address, alongside sold prices, flood risk, crime and the other checks on the same house.
Common questions
What is the catchment area for David Livingstone Academy?
David Livingstone Academy does not have one in the sense most people mean. Like most English schools, an oversubscribed year offers places outward from the school until they run out. The nearest thing to an answer: the furthest child admitted in 2026/27 lived 0.462 miles away, per Croydon.
How close do I need to live to get a place at David Livingstone Academy?
Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 0.462 miles was enough in 2026/27. The distance moves every year with the number of applications, so treat last year's figure as evidence, not a promise.
Does buying a house near David Livingstone Academy guarantee a place?
No. Admission criteria usually put looked-after children, siblings ahead of distance, so places can be filled before distance is reached. Councils also check that the address is genuinely where the child lives.
Every Croydon school's distance
All Croydon schools with a published admission distance, tightest first →
How school admissions actually work, and what the distance means →
Admission distance published by Croydon. School details from the Department for Education's register, ratings from Ofsted. Read how every figure on this site is sourced on the methodology page. If something here looks wrong, tell us and it goes on the accuracy log.
Other schools nearby with a published distance
The closest schools to David Livingstone Academy that also have a council-published admission distance, nearest first.
| School | Phase | Admitted from | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downsview Primary and Nursery School | Primary | 0.83 mi 2026/27 | 0.4 mi |
| Cypress Primary School | Primary | 0.36 mi 2026/27 | 0.6 mi |
| Rockmount Primary School | Primary | 0.31 mi 2026/27 | 0.8 mi |
| Immanuel and St Andrew Church of England Primary School | Primary | 0.43 mi 2024/25 | 1.6 mi |
| St Andrew's Catholic Primary School | Primary | 2.1 mi 2024/25 | 1.6 mi |
| Dulwich Wood Primary School | Primary | 0.63 mi 2025/26 | 1.7 mi |