Astor Secondary School
Academy converter · sixth form · 732 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 27.9
Academy converter
Orchards Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 554of 828 places
- Free school meals
- 42.9%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 88
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 11 March 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Swanley Technology College (URN 118786, until 1 November 2010).
What the data says
Orchards Academy has no sixth form. Of the 112 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 2% moved to a sixth form college, 61% to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
Drama is unusually popular at GCSE: 23% of the year group took it, against 7% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.3 against 46.1 across England and 46.7 in Kent, with 33% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
As an 11–16 school, Orchards Academy is judged on where pupils go at 16 rather than on A level results.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Kent and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Orchards Academy | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 112 | 17,954 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 86% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 71% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 8% | 56% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 61% | 28% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 9% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 5% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Orchards Academy | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.3 | 46.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 47% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 0% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.29 | 4.18 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 40% | 25% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 34.8 | 32.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.6 | 51.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 5% | 12% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 88 | 100% | 89% | 6% | 20% | 52% |
| Mathematics | 88 | 100% | 88% | 10% | 22% | 66% |
| English Literature | 87 | 99% | 86% | 8% | 21% | 68% |
| Combined Science | 71 | 81% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 45% |
| Geography | 41 | 47% | 41% | 0% | 25% | 22% |
| History | 39 | 44% | 41% | 23% | 26% | 67% |
| Computer Science | 29 | 33% | 13% | 21% | 30% | 83% |
| Drama | 20 | 23% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 20% |
| Textiles | 18 | 20% | 2% | 17% | 27% | 94% |
| Physical Education | 18 | 20% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 78% |
| Biology | 17 | 19% | 23% | 35% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 17 | 19% | 23% | 35% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 17 | 19% | 23% | 29% | 47% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 15 | 17% | 9% | 13% | 28% | 93% |
| Statistics | 10 | 11% | 5% | 10% | 20% | 90% |
| 3D Design | 6 | 7% | 2% | 17% | 16% | 83% |
| Art and Design | 1 | 1% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 18 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 16 | — | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | 13 | — | — |
| Music Technology (Electronic) | 4 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Kent
Aylesford School
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 916 pupils
73% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.6
Barton Court Grammar School
Academy converter · sixth form · 995 pupils
97% stayed in education · Attainment 8 66.4
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,913 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.0
Borden Grammar School
Academy converter · sixth form · 938 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 63.2
Brockhill Park Performing Arts College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,314 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.4
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.