Darrick Wood School, Orpington

In its own words: "As a School we have an uncompromising commitment to providing our learners with the best possible experiences of teaching and learning. As a staff we are determined to continually strive to improve our teaching expertise so that we can enable our learners to flourish. In pursuit of excellence in our profession we seek to learn from best practice."

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 7pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Darrick Wood School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 51.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 52.8 in Bromley and 47 across England.

51% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 56% in Bromley and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 51.5.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0: pupils made about average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 36.7, against 54.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 300 families put Darrick Wood School as their first choice and 1036 named it as one of their preferences, for 235 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 107 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Darrick Wood School are Newstead Wood School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 79.5); Ravens Wood School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.8); Bishop Justus CofE School (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.8); and St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School (1.7 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 85).

Darrick Wood School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Darrick Wood School is one of 8 schools run by Impact Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 53.8 in 2024/25.

Of the 254 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 20% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 0% into work.

Of the 195 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 54% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 21% into work. 16% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

14.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 7.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (69%), Mixed (9%) and Asian (6%).

In 2026, 274 pupils (16.1%) received SEN support and 128 (7.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

Darrick Wood School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment.

The nearest railway station is Orpington Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lovibonds Avenue (->s), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Darrick Wood School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 107 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Bromley (188).

In 2024/25, Darrick Wood School issued 78 suspensions, 4.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Darrick Wood School are Darrick Wood Infant & Nursery School (under 0.1 miles), Darrick Wood Junior School (under 0.1 miles), Farnborough Primary School (0.6 miles) and Tubbenden Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.