The Orchard School, Canterbury
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
The Orchard School excels at helping pupils manage their emotions and feel safe, with caring staff who build strong, trusting relationships. The school provides excellent opportunities beyond the classroom, including sports, trips and visits like a ski trip to Italy, which help pupils develop resilience and confidence. The school works hard to re-engage pupils with learning and provides thoughtful support for those with complex barriers to learning.
Key Strengths
- Strong pastoral care and emotional support, including use of school dog Hugo at key transition times
- Well-designed, ambitious curriculum with clear end points for pupil learning
- Effective use of pupil premium funding to break down financial and social barriers
- Good safeguarding culture where concerns are actively identified and acted upon
- Strong staff commitment to pupils and building positive relationships
Areas for Improvement
- Too many pupils do not achieve as well as they should, particularly in writing development
- Inconsistent application of behaviour expectations across the school
- Teaching checks on learning are not precise enough, so teachers do not always identify gaps
- Support for pupils with complex needs is not consistently applied in classroom practice
- Leadership monitoring of impact and priorities for improvement lacks sufficient precision
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are met and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports teams, ski trip to Italy, class representative leadership roles, school council, careers education
The Orchard School is a specialist setting that has recently stabilized under new leadership after a period of significant upheaval. While the school provides strong pastoral care and wellbeing support, achievement levels need attention with too many pupils not progressing as well as they should.
At a Glance
73.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 0%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Commute Calculator
Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply
What are my chances?
Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Canterbury
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Canterbury
Admissions Demand - Kent
Places available
19,410
Applications
18,281
Got 1st preference
80.6%
Got preferred school
96.5%
Secondary admissions across Kent (2025/26)
Inspection History(10)
House Prices
Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost
SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
Pupil Absence2024/25
26.35414%
Overall absence
58.26087%
Persistent absence
115
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Reviews
No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Orchard School
Wincheap Foundation Primary School
St Peter's Methodist Primary School
St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury
Pilgrims' Way Primary School
The Canterbury Primary School
St Johns Church of England Primary School
St Stephen's Infant School
St Stephen's Junior School
Kent College Nursery, Infant and Junior School
Parkside Community Foundation Primary School
Nearby Schools
Do you work at this school?
Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.