The John Fisher School (Purley)

What The John Fisher School (Purley) does

The John Fisher School is a maintained Catholic boys' secondary school located at Peaks Hill, Purley, Surrey, founded in 1929 and operating under the trusteeship of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark. It serves approximately 1,136 students across Years 7–13, including a Sixth Form, with a Published Admission Number of 180 per year group and admissions routed through the London Borough of Sutton. The school delivers a three-stage curriculum (Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 GCSE/BTEC pathways with EBacc option, and Sixth Form A Level/BTEC) supplemented by the Extended Project Qualification, a MAGT programme, a statutory RSHE curriculum, and structured UCAS and careers support. Its technology stack is built on commodity UK edtech: Bromcom MIS with MCAS parent portal and Student App, Show My Homework, ParentPay, LGFL/Microsoft 365 email, CPOMs/Otrack safeguarding, FlippingBook newsletters, and Google Forms for admissions. Revenue is driven primarily by Department for Education per-pupil funding for a state-funded maintained school with no tuition fees, augmented by voluntary parental School Fund contributions (£300 first child, £150 additional), John Fisher Association fundraising, school lettings of sports facilities, and a catering commission arrangement with Harrisons (Food with Thought). The school's competitive positioning rests on a Catholic faith-based admissions policy (Category A for Catholic families), strong pastoral and safeguarding infrastructure, and a nationally competitive sports programme particularly in rugby, cricket, cross country, and athletics, alongside a multi-generational alumni and parent community (the 'Fisher Family').

Name

The John Fisher School (Purley)

Legal name

The John Fisher School

Website

https://johnfisherschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The John Fisher School, founded in 1929 in Purley, Surrey, is a maintained Catholic boys' secondary school serving approximately 1,136 students across Years 7–13 under the Archdiocese of Southwark, funded by government per-pupil grants, voluntary parental contributions, and community fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Sex (Boys/Girls) Private Schools (EDAJABAK)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Catholic schooling
• Sixth form education
• GCSE A-Level programs
• School pastoral care

Headquarters

HQ city

Purley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Per-Pupil Funding: Core government funding from Department for Education based on student enrollment. State-funded school receiving per-pupil funding for educational provision.
2. School Fund Contributions: Voluntary parental contributions of £300 per annum for first child and £150 per annum for each additional child. Supports extra-curricular activities, music, and sport programmes.
3. John Fisher Association Fundraising: Registered charity undertaking fundraising activities including events, crowdfunding initiatives, and corporate sponsorship to support school resources and activities.
4. School Lettings: Hire of school facilities including sports hall, pitches, and spaces for community use through School Lettings programme.
5. Catering Services: Catering provided by Harrison (Food with Thought) for student meals. School receives commission or facilities contribution from catering operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The John Fisher School is a state-funded Catholic boys' secondary school delivering full-time education to approximately 1,136 students from Year 7 through Sixth Form (Years 7-13). The school provides a broad academic curriculum across Key Stage 3, GCSE/BTEC pathways at Key Stage 4, and A Level/BTEC courses in the Sixth Form, supplemented by an extensive extracurricular programme in sport, music, drama, and Duke of Edinburgh Award. Education is delivered free of charge, with revenue coming primarily from government per-pupil funding, supplemented by voluntary parental contributions, fundraising via the John Fisher Association, and ancillary income from facility lettings and catering.

Product overview

The John Fisher School is a Catholic boys' secondary school offering a comprehensive educational programme from Years 7-13. The core offering consists of three key stages: Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) providing broad curriculum introduction, Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) with GCSE/BTEC pathways including EBacc option, and Sixth Form (Years 12-13) with A Level/BTEC courses. These are supplemented by the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) for independent research, MAGT programme for able/gifted/talented students, and comprehensive RSHE and Careers programmes. The school is renowned for its sports excellence in rugby, cricket, cross country, athletics, and football, alongside strong music and drama offerings. Catholic life is central with daily collective worship, masses, retreats, and chaplaincy support. Pastoral care is delivered through a structured system of form tutors, year heads, and safeguarding leads.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Key Stage 3 Curriculum (Years 7-9) Broad and balanced curriculum for students in Years 7-9, introducing all main subject areas including French, Spanish, drama, music, and religious education, with Economics, Sports Studies and Careers lessons introduced in Year 9.
• Key Stage 4 Pathways (GCSE/BTEC) Differentiated curriculum pathways for Years 10 and 11 including core National Curriculum subjects and optional subjects. Includes English Baccalaureate (EBacc) pathway and a range of GCSE/BTEC qualifications.
• Sixth Form (A Level/BTEC) Post-16 education offering A Level and BTEC courses with enrichment activities. Includes accelerated programmes in maths and science for high achievers and strong UCAS support for university applications.
• Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) Independent research project qualification allowing Sixth Form students to study topics outside their A-Level curriculum. Students produce dissertations, investigations, performances, or artefacts under Edexcel specification.
• Rugby Programme Major sport for the first two terms with a national reputation. Fields up to 24 teams weekly, competing against major rugby schools including RGS High Wycombe, Eton, and Dulwich. Participates in Rosslyn Park National Sevens tournament and biennial tours to South Africa and New Zealand, with over 500 youngsters participating weekly.
• Cricket Programme Summer term sport with four indoor nets for year-round practice and two outdoor nets featuring an Astro-Turf wicket. Competes in fixtures against top cricket schools, teaching patience, teamwork, attention to detail, and decision-making.
• Cross Country Programme Ranked No.1 comprehensive school in the country for cross country. Competes at Senior Knole Race at Sevenoaks and Senior XC Relays at Coventry, with strong depth in the senior squad including county and regional champions.
• Athletics Programme Major summer sport competing at school, county, regional and national level. Overall winners at the Sutton Borough Championships for 20 consecutive years, with regular appearances in English Schools Cup Regional Finals and national finals.
• Football Programme Spring term sport with teams from Year 7 to Year 13 competing in Sutton and Surrey Cups. 2023/24 season saw Year 9, 10, and 11 teams reach Sutton Cup finals with Year 10 winning.
• Music Programme Programme with a national reputation choir, various orchestras, and peripatetic music lessons. The choir performs at significant religious services and students can participate in multiple musical ensembles.
• Drama Programme Drama productions including Shakespeare Schools Festival participation. Students perform in various productions throughout the year.
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Prestigious award scheme available to students through the enrichment programme, developing outdoor skills, volunteering, and personal development.
• School Lettings Hire of school facilities including sports hall, pitches, and spaces for community use through the School Lettings programme.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of students achieve 5 A*-C (4+) at GCSE including English and Maths
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sutton Education Business PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the National Education Business Partnership providing support for Work Related activities and Work Experience. Carries out administrative tasks including pre-placement visits, job descriptions, insurance and risk assessments for Year 10 work experience placements.
• Bank of EnglandminorOthersWork experience placement venue offering students insight into careers in financial services.
• BBCminorOthersWork experience placement venue offering students insight into media and broadcasting careers.
• Koning School (South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership school in South Africa. School contributed £3546 as most recent contribution to support partnership activities and student exchanges.
• NHSminorOthersHealth services partnership for sharing pupil information and student health support including school nurse services.
• Bromcom Computers PLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Management Information System (MIS) replacing SIMS. Supplies Bromcom, MCAS (My Child At School) parent portal and Student Portal App for attendance, behaviour, homework tracking.
• Harrisons (Food with Thought)coreOthersCatering provider delivering meals to students. Manages school kitchens and food service with focus on quality ingredients and service.
• John Fisher Association (JFA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegistered charity of parents, carers and staff undertaking fundraising for school resources. Funded IT hardware during COVID-19 (£20,000), sports hall upgrades, and supports Music and Arts provision. Organises community events.
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of SouthwarkcoreOthersTrustees of the school. Archbishop John Wilson designates Jubilee churches within the Archdiocese. School operates under Catholic ethos with 12 local priests supporting chaplaincy.
• Over 40 Professional OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpeed Careers event brings together over 40 different professions allowing students to speak with Old Boys and professionals about career choices. Includes guest speakers and CV workshops.
• Alex Dombrandt (Alumnus)minorOthersRugby player alumnus who participated in sports hall grand opening ceremony and crowdfunding events.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Dulwich College: Independent boys' day school in South London with strong sport (especially cricket) and university progression record. Comparable boys' single-sex delivery, sport-driven differentiation, and academic stretch, though operating on independent school economics.
• Emanuel School: Independent boys' day school in Battersea with co-ed Sixth Form. Comparable on single-sex boys' lower school delivery, structured pastoral care, broad sport and music programmes, and similar South London catchment overlap.
• Whitgift School: Independent boys' day school in Croydon, larger and more established than John Fisher. Competes in the same catchment for top-tier boys' schooling with a broader academic/sport/music portfolio and premium brand.

Direct peers

• Wimbledon College: Catholic boys' maintained secondary school in Wimbledon, London, with a Sixth Form. Closest direct peer in governance model (RC Archdiocese trusteeship), maintained funding structure, single-sex Catholic boys' delivery, and similar UCAS-focused university progression ethos.
• Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School: Catholic boys' maintained secondary school in Kensington, London, with a Sixth Form. Highly comparable on faith-based ethos, single-sex boys' intake, academic stretch to Russell Group universities, and national reputation for sport and music.
• Salesian School, Chertsey: Catholic secondary school in Chertsey, Surrey. Comparable as a Catholic secondary operating within commuting distance of the same Surrey/South London catchment, with similar maintained funding and Catholic ethos.
• St Benedict's School, Ealing: Catholic boys' school (with co-ed Sixth Form) in West London. Comparable on Catholic boys' secondary mission, structured pastoral care, strong sport and music programmes, and university preparation focus.
• Trinity School, Croydon: Independent boys' day school in Croydon, geographically adjacent to John Fisher. Direct competitor for the same affluent Surrey/South London families, with overlapping academic, sport and UCAS-focused positioning.
• St Ignatius' College, Enfield: Catholic boys' secondary school in Enfield run by the Jesuits. Highly comparable on single-sex Catholic boys' delivery, Jesuit/Catholic formation, academic stretch, and structured extracurricular sport and music programmes.

Regional players

• St Edmund's College, Ware: Catholic boys' boarding school in Hertfordshire. Comparable on Catholic boys' mission, broad sport and music programmes, and university-preparation emphasis, though serving a different geographic catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/_thejfa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-john-fisher-school-purley

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 The John Fisher School (Purley)