The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
A brand-new building has reshaped the daily experience at Orchards Academy, giving a tangible sense of momentum after years of local attention on the condition of the old site. Formal opening events in late 2025 highlighted the scale of the rebuild and the community interest around the school’s next chapter.
This is a state-funded, non-selective secondary serving ages 11 to 18, although the most recent published inspection report notes there are currently no sixth form students on roll. It sits within The Kemnal Academies Trust, and is recorded on government school registers as being led by Mrs Hannah Carter.
For families, the headline is straightforward: a Good school by all current Ofsted judgement areas, with calm expectations, structured behaviour systems, and a curriculum that has been tightened and made more ambitious.
The tone, as described in official evidence, is orderly and purposeful. Expectations are clear; routines are embedded; pupils know what is required in lessons and around the site. A small but meaningful indicator of culture is the way pupils describe behaviour systems as consistent rather than arbitrary, which tends to be what families notice most in the first term of Year 7.
A distinctive feature here is the use of ACE tutors, referenced as helping pupils stay organised and ready to learn. That matters because it points to a pastoral structure that is practical, not just reactive, with adults checking in frequently and linking day-to-day organisation to learning success.
Pupils’ confidence beyond the immediate local area is also treated as part of school culture. External evidence references trips and visits that broaden experiences, plus an active school council with concrete responsibilities such as organising food bank donations and influencing canteen provision. That mix, real-world experiences plus pupil leadership, is often what helps a mainstream comprehensive feel bigger than its buildings.
Leadership is best understood as a transition period. The March 2025 inspection report names Andy Lazenby as headteacher at that time, while current government school records list Mrs Hannah Carter as headteacher. Families researching should therefore read the most recent inspection in the context of leadership change since that inspection window.
On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes measures, Orchards ranks 3349th in England and 1st in Swanley for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places overall performance below England average when compared across the full set of ranked secondary schools.
The figures show an Attainment 8 score of 40.8 and a Progress 8 score of +0.02, which indicates progress broadly in line with England benchmarks rather than dramatically above or below. In practical terms, families should expect a school where outcomes are driven less by selection and more by the consistency of teaching, routines, attendance, and targeted support for pupils who need it.
There is one caveat worth understanding. Some headline EBacc-related metrics are either absent or not directly comparable in the way they are presented, so the most reliable reading is to focus on the ranking position, Attainment 8, and Progress 8 for the outcomes picture.
If you are comparing local options, FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool can help you view ranking position and key GCSE indicators side-by-side, using the same definitions across schools.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
GCSE 9–7
—
% of students achieving grades 9-7
The curriculum story, based on the latest official report, is about refinement and raised ambition. More ambitious content has been introduced alongside wider choice, and subjects such as statistics are specifically referenced as additions. That is the type of detail that suggests the school is not simply maintaining, it is redesigning.
Reading is treated as an active part of the academic culture. Evidence points to carefully selected texts that help pupils explore social issues, with additional support for pupils who need help catching up in reading. This is a sensible approach for a mixed-intake school because reading fluency tends to be the gateway to success across subjects, not only in English.
The improvement priorities are also clear. Support for writing is described as less sharply defined than reading support, and some tasks do not consistently push pupils into deeper thinking about what they have learned. For parents, the implication is that the school has secure foundations, but its next gains are likely to come from sharpening classroom challenge and ensuring intervention work is as precise for writing as it is for reading.
With no sixth form students currently on roll, most families should treat this as an 11 to 16 school in practice, with post-16 progression typically moving to further education, apprenticeships, or training routes offered elsewhere.
Careers education is described as comprehensive and built to help pupils make secure plans for next steps, which is an important strength in a school where the transition at 16 is the key exit point. The school’s approach to broadening horizons through visits and experiences also supports this, because exposure often influences aspiration and the confidence to apply for unfamiliar pathways.
Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated by Kent County Council using the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF), with the standard Kent timetable applying to September 2026 entry. The published Kent secondary admissions guide states applications open on 01 September 2025 and close at midnight on Friday 31 October 2025, with offers sent on Monday 02 March 2026 and acceptance due by Monday 16 March 2026.
The school’s determined admissions arrangements for 2026 to 27 set a Published Admission Number (PAN) of 120 for the normal point of entry. If the school is oversubscribed, priority follows the usual hierarchy: looked-after and previously looked-after children, then siblings, then certain medical or social needs, then distance from home to school measured as a straight line using National Land and Property Gazetteer reference points.
Open events are typically scheduled in September and October ahead of the entry year, with schools expected to publish their open evening details on their own websites as part of the process.
If distance is likely to be a deciding factor for your family, it is sensible to use a precise measurement tool such as FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand how your home compares to typical local cut-offs. Cut-offs move year to year.
Applications
169
Total received
Places Offered
109
Subscription Rate
1.6x
Apps per place
Behaviour and wellbeing are tightly linked here through routines and consistent adult support. The same evidence base that describes calm systems also points to pupils feeling safe, knowing who to speak to, and seeing bullying as uncommon and addressed when it occurs. That combination, expectations plus trust in adults to respond, is usually what families mean when they say a school feels settled.
Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is a visible strand. A specially resourced provision for up to 12 pupils with autism spectrum disorder is noted, and there is also a focus on improving the precision of information staff receive when supporting pupils who do not have an Education, Health and Care plan. For parents, this suggests a school that has defined SEND structures, plus a realistic understanding of where consistency needs to improve.
Communication with families is highlighted as an area of development, including parent workshops with SEND experts and shared activities such as cooking and sport sessions for parents and children. That matters because it signals a school trying to make support visible and practical, not hidden behind formal meetings.
The latest Ofsted inspection report confirms safeguarding arrangements are effective.
The enrichment picture here is best described as experiences plus responsibility. The school’s use of educational visits, including to coastal settings, galleries, museums, and central London, indicates an effort to broaden pupils’ cultural reference points and confidence. The implication is simple: pupils who experience more tend to write and speak with more range, and they often make more informed GCSE and post-16 choices.
Pupil leadership is not treated as a token. The school council example, food bank donations and influencing food provision, shows a practical model of responsibility. For some pupils, especially those who need a reason to engage, leadership roles can be the hook that then stabilises attendance, punctuality, and behaviour.
The ACE tutor model is also worth placing in this section because it functions like a structured mentoring programme, with named adults acting as champions and organisers for pupils who need that layer of support to thrive day-to-day.
This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still plan for the usual extras such as uniform, trips, and optional activities, which can vary by year group.
Travel planning matters because the school serves Swanley and surrounding areas, and oversubscription criteria can include distance when places are tight. For the most accurate picture of how your home sits geographically, use a precise mapping tool rather than a rough online estimate.
School-day timings, term dates, and any breakfast or after-school arrangements can change across years and are best checked through the school’s official communications.
Leadership context. The most recent inspection predates the headteacher name shown on current government school records. Families may want to ask how priorities have evolved since the March 2025 inspection window.
Curriculum consistency at key stage 4. External evidence flags that some curriculum elements, including aspects of religious education at key stage 4 and the precision of writing support, need further development. This may matter for pupils who benefit from highly structured literacy teaching.
SEND information quality for pupils without an EHCP. The school is described as needing more precise internal information to support some pupils effectively. Parents of pupils on SEN support should ask how strategies are communicated and tracked across subjects.
Post-16 planning. With no sixth form students currently on roll, families should focus on transition planning at 16 and ask early about guidance, college pathways, and apprenticeship routes.
Orchards Academy presents as a settled, well-organised comprehensive with a clearer physical environment after its rebuild, consistent routines, and an academic picture that is broadly in line with England expectations on progress measures. The best fit is for families who value structure, calm corridors, practical pastoral systems like ACE-style mentoring, and a school that is candid about what it is still improving. Entry mechanics follow the standard Kent coordinated process, so families should pay close attention to deadlines and oversubscription criteria.
The latest inspection graded all key judgement areas as Good, and the report describes a calm environment with clear routines and pupils who feel safe. Outcomes sit below England average on the FindMySchool GCSE ranking position, but progress measures suggest pupils generally make steady progress from their starting points.
No. It is a state-funded school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for common extras such as uniform, trips, and optional activities.
Applications are made through Kent’s coordinated secondary admissions process. For September 2026 entry, the Kent timetable sets applications opening on 01 September 2025, closing on 31 October 2025, and offers issued on 02 March 2026.
The most recent published inspection report notes that there are currently no sixth form students on roll. Families should therefore plan on post-16 progression through external providers, supported by the school’s careers programme.
Yes. The published inspection report notes a specially resourced provision for up to 12 pupils with autism spectrum disorder, and it also highlights ongoing work to ensure staff have precise information to support pupils effectively across subjects.
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Information on this page is compiled, analysed, and processed from publicly available sources including the Department for Education (DfE), Ofsted, the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and official school websites.
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