A struggling school in Croydon is still being supported by the council.

Last summer  St Andrew’s Church of England High School made the shock announcement that year 7, 8 and 9 would not exist at the school in September.

Before the new term started, all affected pupils were forced to find new schools for September.

The school in Warrington Road, Waddon, blamed a decline in the number of pupils joining the school – a reduction in numbers affects the amount of funding that a school can get.

The displaced pupils were offered places at other schools in the borough, including Archbishop Tenison’s, Harris Academy South Norwood, Archbishop Lanfranc, St Mary’s High and Norbury Manor.

“Our education department worked closely with the leadership team of St Andrew’s C of E School, and with the families affected by the decision made last summer, to ensure that there was a smooth transition for pupils, all of whom were offered at least a ‘good’ school,” said a Croydon Council spokeswoman.

“We can confirm that all pupils in years 7, 8 and 9  received an admissions offer in a local school and the majority of families accepted these offers, although some families made their own admission arrangements.”

Pupils also received a uniform for their new school funded by the Diocese of Southwark, which oversees the school.

What about students left at the school?

The school is now only made up of two years of pupils who are taking their GCSEs.

Once the two year groups have finished at the school the plan is for it to reopen.

Last summer the Diocese of Southwark made assurances that the school was not closing and a future merger is planned.

The Croydon Council spokeswoman added: “The school’s leadership team have ensured that the pupils in years 10 and 11, who remain in the school, are being well supported and that there is a focus on ensuring that they achieve well in their GCSE exams.

“The school are also working in partnership with another local school to ensure that the pupils are actively engaging in extra-curricular activities, including sport and music.

“We continue to work with both the school governing board and the Diocese to discuss all possible options for the future of the school.”

Former headteacher Kerry Taggart stepped down from her role last summer with Jonathan Harris taking on the role.

In the most recent school newsletter Mr Harris thanked parents for ‘keeping faith in the school’s ability to provide a world class education’.

The Diocese of Southwark said it did not have anything further to add.

More bad news

There was more bad news for St Andrew’s last week as it was singled out as one of three schools in Croydon highlighted by the Department for Education (DfE) as under-performing.

This means it fell below the Government’s performance threshold which happens if pupils fail to make enough progress across eight subjects – with particular weight given to English and maths.