School profile

Orchard Primary School

Primary · Community school · Sidcup, DA14 6LW

Good

Map showing Orchard Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#9,044 of 15,057

Worse than 60% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Orchard Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 2 Jun 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils207
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Suzanne Spencer
Local authorityBexley
Opened01 Sept 2003
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 134185.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolBexleyEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths60%, similar to England, worse than Bexley67%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.10%, similar to England, worse than Bexley13%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, similar to Bexley107106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, similar to Bexley106105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than Bexley106105
Expected standard in reading77%, similar to England, similar to Bexley78%76%
Expected standard in writing70%, similar to England, worse than Bexley77%73%
Expected standard in maths77%, similar to England, similar to Bexley76%75%
Pupils taking tests30--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils207
Girls105
Boys102
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.29%
First language not English38.2%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.183
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.12.9%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.39
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.13
Average class size25.9

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
49.3%
Other White
8.2%
Other mixed
6.8%
African
6.8%
White and Asian
5.3%
White and Black Caribbean
4.3%
Other Asian
3.9%
Other ethnic group
3.9%
Pakistani
3.4%
Bangladeshi
2.9%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher17.8
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.8.1
Teachers (FTE)11.6
Teaching assistants (FTE)13.42
Support staff (FTE)18.57
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2510.6
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/259.6
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.30
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.59
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.19
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.19
Applications from another local authority (Reception)2

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolBexleyEngland
Overall absence6%, worse than England, worse than Bexley4.7%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.18.3%, worse than England, worse than Bexley11.7%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better than Bexley0.8%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate1.4%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.9%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Orchard Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miNot applicableMerton Court SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.3 miPrimarySt Peter Chanel Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryHope Community SchoolFree schools
Good
0.6 miSecondaryKemnal Technology CollegeAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.7 miSecondaryCleeve Park SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miNot applicableBenedict House Preparatory SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.7 miNot applicableWest Lodge SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.8 miPrimaryMidfield Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.8 miPrimaryBirkbeck Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.9 miPrimaryGray's Farm Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good

Frequently asked questions about Orchard Primary School

What is Orchard Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Orchard Primary School is rated Good, last inspected on 2 Jun 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Orchard Primary School rank in England?

Orchard Primary School ranks 9,044 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 60% of schools).

What are Orchard Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 60% of pupils at Orchard Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Orchard Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Orchard Primary School made 30 offers from 59 applications (2 per offer), and 19 of 19 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Orchard Primary School?

Orchard Primary School has 207 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Orchard Primary School?

Orchard Primary School had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Orchard Primary School?

At Orchard Primary School, the average class had 25.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 17.8 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Orchard Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Orchard Primary School missed 6% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 18.3% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.