Orchards Academy, Swanley

In 2026, pupils at Orchards Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.1 in Kent and 47 across England.

27% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Kent and 47% in England.

That is down from 41.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.03: 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 32.1, against 43.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.1 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 95 families put Orchards Academy as their first choice and 186 named it as one of their preferences, for 139 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Orchards Academy are Leigh Academy Wilmington (2.4 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 45.1); Wilmington Grammar School for Boys (2.5 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 67.6); Wilmington Grammar School for Girls (2.6 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 65.3); and Harris Academy Orpington (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.9).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Orchards Academy.

Orchards Academy is one of 45 schools run by The Kemnal Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.2 in 2024/25.

61 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Orchards Academy (as of September 2025): 48% would recommend the school, 59% say their child is happy there and 30% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (69%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (30%).

Of the 106 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 76% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 60% to a further education college, 8% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

42.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 9.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%), Black (6%) and Mixed (5%).

Orchards Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 6 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Swanley Rail Station, about 300 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).

13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Orchards Academy (adjacent), 70 metres away.

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

In August 2026, police recorded 165 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kent (101), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Orchards Academy issued 190 suspensions, 34.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Orchards Academy are St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.2 miles); St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Swanley (0.3 miles); Horizon Primary Academy (0.3 miles); and High Firs Primary School (0.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.