Harris Primary Academy Benson
Academy sponsor led in Croydon, CR0 8RQ, taking ages 3 to 11, 238 on roll.
Homes you looked at
Each measured from its postcode's centre against the 0.89 miles Croydon published for 2026/27, as the checker measures.
Opened on this device and kept on it only: just their postcodes are sent, to this site, to measure them.
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Will an address get in?
In 2026/27, the furthest child offered a place lived 0.89 miles away.
Applying for September 2027? Primary applications close 15 January 2027; offers on 16 April 2027.
How this compares: every Croydon school's distance, tightest first →
The circle is 0.89 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2026/27.
Harris Primary Academy Benson: 0.89 miles, 2026/27 Marian Vian Primary School: 1.36 miles, 2025/26, published by Bromley
How to read this
Most English schools do not have a catchment area. When Harris Primary Academy Benson is oversubscribed, places go outward from the school until they run out, so the distance moves each year with how many families applied and where they lived.
Distances are measured from the postcode's centre, not a front door; a postcode covers a few houses. Siblings, looked-after children come before distance, so a school can fill before distance counts at all.
Real admission areas are not circular: the circle is the distance, not a boundary.
The address on the closing date is the one the council uses. How admissions work.
One published year so far: 2026/27, from Croydon. With two or more, the map can draw any of them.
Source: Croydon, published admission distances, 2026/27
Where Harris Primary Academy Benson and Marian Vian Primary School are both in reach
Both distances are drawn on the map above. Marian Vian Primary School admitted from 1.36 miles in 2025/26, published by Bromley. Its own page has the rest of its figures.
No postcode district has its centre inside both distances. The two schools admit from 0.89 and 1.36 miles, and the ground those circles share holds no district centre, which is a fact about where the centres fall rather than about any one address. The map above shows both, and the postcode checker answers for both.
Sign up to save both schools and be told when either council republishes the distance these answers rest on.
Drop Marian Vian Primary School and go back to one school.
If the answer is no, you can appeal. In Croydon, 3 of 57 secondary appeals succeeded in 2025 (5.3%; England 19.9%), counted for all the council's schools together. How every council compares.
Other schools nearby with a published distance
The closest schools to Harris Primary Academy Benson that also have a council-published admission distance, nearest first.
| School | Phase | Admitted from | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Lodge Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 1.0 mi 2025/26 | 1.0 mi |
| Langley Park School for Boys Both in reach | Secondary | 0.93 mi 2025/26 | 1.6 mi |
| Langley Park School for Girls Both in reach | Secondary | 1.33 mi 2025/26 | 1.6 mi |
| Hawes Down Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 0.69 mi 2025/26 | 1.7 mi |
| Marian Vian Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 1.36 mi 2025/26 | 1.7 mi |
| Orion Eden Park Both in reach | Secondary | 1.7 mi 2025/26 | 1.7 mi |
The distance as a picture
What kind of school this is
| Religious character | No religious character |
| Sixth form | Does not have a sixth form |
| How full | 238 pupils in 420 places (57% full) |
| Trust | HARRIS FEDERATION |
| Local authority | Croydon |
Department for Education register (GIAS).
How the school is doing
| Ofsted | Outstanding, inspected 20 July 2023 |
| Meeting the expected standard | 74.0% in reading, writing and maths (2024/25) |
| Year | Meeting the expected standard |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 74.0% |
| 2023/24 | 79.0% |
| 2022/23 | 71.0% |
Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.
Who goes to Harris Primary Academy Benson
| Girls and boys | 52.1% girls, 47.9% boys |
| English as an additional language | 23.9% of pupils |
| Free school meals | 30.3% of pupils eligible |
DfE school census, most recent published year.
Getting to Harris Primary Academy Benson by bus
Best-served stop: Benson School, 87 yd away, with 5.1 buses an hour on weekday daytimes; first bus 00:15, last 23:55.
Every stop within 600 m
| Stop | From the school | Weekday daytime, an hour | Evening | Sunday | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson School | 87 yd | 5.1 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 194 |
| Benson School | 142 yd | 5.1 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 194 |
| Bennetts Avenue | 0.1 mi | 5.1 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 194 |
These are scheduled departures, not buses observed running. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two rows.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport), week of 8 Sep 2026
The fee-paying alternative
Weighing Harris Primary Academy Benson against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around CR0: ages, selection, and how full each one is → What it costs to live at CR0 8RQ, by the school: council tax, energy, prices, rent, stamp duty →
Checking the house as well as the school
The full report checks one address against every nearby school, with sold prices, flood risk and crime.
Common questions
What is the catchment area for Harris Primary Academy Benson?
Harris Primary Academy Benson 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 0.89 miles away, per Croydon.
How close do I need to live to get a place at Harris Primary Academy Benson?
Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 0.89 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 Harris Primary Academy Benson 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 →
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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.