Harris Academy Purley

What Harris Academy Purley does

Harris Academy Purley is a state-funded secondary academy located in Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom, operating as part of the Harris Federation — an education charity founded in 1991 that runs 55 primary and secondary academies educating approximately 44,000 students across London and surrounding areas. The academy serves students aged 11-19 across Years 7 through 13, with a Published Admission Number of 180 students per year group, delivering Key Stage 3 and 4 (GCSE) education, and a Sixth Form offering A-Levels and Technical Level (CTEC) qualifications across 24 subject areas. The academy is led by Principal Tim Allman and Executive Principal Alex Williamson, under the governance of Chair of Governors Richard Levy.

The academy's core academic product is its Key Stage 3 and 4 curriculum (Years 7-11) and its Sixth Form academic programmes. Layered enrichment and differentiation products include the Harris Experience Advanced programme for Russell Group university preparation (Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry), the Harris Scholars academic scholarship programme, the Surrey County Cricket Academy partnership delivering coaching and employability pathways, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, instrument tuition, SEND support services, and VR-based Holocaust education workshops using Testimony 360 technology. Operational technology is standard educational infrastructure — CCTV surveillance, electronic register, fire detection systems, access control, and consumer SaaS integrations (SchoolCloud for parents' evening booking, ParentPay for meal payments, SOCS for sports fixtures, Google Analytics for website analytics).

As a not-for-profit state-funded academy within the Harris Federation, Harris Academy Purley does not charge tuition. Revenue is derived from government education funding through the Harris Federation trust, supplemented by ancillary income streams such as catering, facility hire (commercialised via Vivify Venues), and partnership contributions. The academy is privately held as a UK nonprofit organisation, does not have publicly traded equity, and reports financial performance at the federation rather than individual academy level. The Harris Federation is led and run by teachers, with each academy retaining its own Principal and senior leadership team.

Name

Harris Academy Purley

Legal name

Harris Academy Purley

Website

https://harrispurley.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Harris Academy Purley is a state-funded secondary academy in Croydon, Surrey, operating under the Harris Federation. It serves approximately 1,260 students aged 11-19 across Years 7-13, delivering GCSE, A-Level, and Technical Level programmes with Sixth Form and enrichment provision.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Croydon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Harris Academy Purley is a state-funded secondary school (academy) for students aged 11–19 (Years 7–13), delivering the Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4, and Key Stage 5 national curriculum. It provides GCSE preparation as well as A-Level and Technical Level qualifications across 24 subjects in its Sixth Form, alongside enrichment programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, instrument tuition, VR workshops, and a Surrey County Cricket Academy partnership. Education is provided free of charge to enrolled students as part of the Harris Federation multi-academy trust.

Product overview

Harris Academy Purley is a secondary school (Years 7-13) offering a unified educational programme centred on its academic curriculum and Sixth Form provision. The core offering comprises Key Stage 3 and 4 curriculum (Years 7-11) delivering GCSE preparation, alongside Sixth Form programmes offering A-Level and CTEC Technical qualifications across 24 subjects. Key supplementary offerings include the Harris Experience Advanced programme for Russell Group university preparation, the Harris Scholars academic scholarship programme, and the Surrey County Cricket Academy Partnership for cricket coaching and career development. Additional enrichment includes Duke of Edinburgh Awards, instrument tuition, and VR Holocaust education workshops. The academy also provides parent engagement services through a SchoolCloud-based parents' evening booking system and ParentPay for meal payments. Students range from ages 11-19 with a published admission number of 180 per year group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Key Stage 3 and 4 Curriculum

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of Year 13 leavers went on to higher education, with 13% attending Russell Group Universities (above national average of 12%)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Surrey County Cricket ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Partnership supporting the State School Sixth Form Cricket Programme. Students receive access to high-quality cricket coaching, strength and conditioning training, and academic studies. The programme offers employability workshops, certified courses, and opportunities in hospitality, coaching, media, groundskeeping, and more. Students can complete Support Coaching Course and gain experience as volunteer cricket coaches with the Surrey Cricket Foundation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greenshaw High School: Large state-funded secondary school in Sutton serving a similar 11–18 age range. Directly comparable as a neighbouring state secondary competing for the same South London catchment.
• Ark Schools: Large multi-academy trust running primary and secondary academies across the UK. Closely comparable as a federated state-funded school group operating under similar funding and regulatory constraints.
• Whitgift School: Independent boys' day and boarding school located in South Croydon. Comparable as a local competitor competing for the same high-attaining Croydon/South London cohort.
• Wallington High School for Girls: Selective state grammar school for girls in Sutton. Comparable as a high-performing local secondary competing for able pupils in the same Croydon/Sutton corridor.
• Old Palace of John Whitgift School: Independent girls' school in Croydon for ages 3–18 with its own Sixth Form. Comparable as a local independent secondary competitor for Croydon families.
• Trinity School Croydon: Independent co-educational day school in Croydon for ages 3–18 with Sixth Form provision. Comparable as a local independent secondary competing for the same Croydon cohort.
• St Mary's Catholic High School: Catholic voluntary-aided secondary school in Croydon serving a similar 11–18 age range. Comparable as a local faith/state secondary competitor in the Croydon catchment.
• Harris Academy Merton: Another secondary academy within the Harris Federation serving Years 7–13 in the London area. Directly comparable as a same-federation peer sharing central services, brand, and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Eton College: UK's most prominent independent boys' school, regularly topping league tables and Oxbridge placement metrics. Comparable as a broad incumbent setting the benchmark for Russell Group progression outcomes.
• Dulwich College: Prestigious independent school in South London offering education from infancy through Sixth Form. Comparable as a wider London independent incumbent with overlapping academic and enrichment positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/harrispurley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harris-academy-purley

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harris Academy Purley