The Orchard School[1]

Special · ages 7–16

Headline results

Special schools' results are not shown as headlines: they are not comparable with mainstream schools'.

Results

Results at special schools and alternative provision aren't comparable with mainstream schools'. Shown as published, not compared.

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8: 7.4 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths: 0% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths: 0% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8: -1.47 2023/24[3]
Progress 8, 2025/26: Not calculated[4]
Progress 8, 2024/25: Not calculated[4]

Earlier years
Year	Attainment 8	Grade 5+ in English & maths	Progress 8
2024/25	6.6[5]	0%[5]
2023/24	6.9[3]	0%[3]	-1.47[3]
2022/23	4.2[6]	0%[6]	-1.61[6]
2021/22	4.7[7]	0%[7]	-2.17[7]

Primary (key stage 2)

Expected standard (reading, writing & maths): 0% 2024/25[8]
Higher standard (reading, writing & maths): 0% 2024/25[8]
Reading, average scaled score: 88 2017/18[9]
Maths, average scaled score: 84 2017/18[9]
All results, 2021/22: Not published[10]
All results, 2020/21: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[10]
All results, 2019/20: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[10]

Earlier years
Year	Expected standard (reading, writing & maths)	Higher standard (reading, writing & maths)	Reading, average scaled score	Maths, average scaled score
2023/24	0%[11]	0%[11]
2022/23	0%[12]	0%[12]
2018/19	0%[13]	0%[13]
2017/18	0%[9]	0%[9]	88[9]	84[9]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment: 69% 2022/23[14]
School sixth form: 15% 2022/23[14]
Sixth-form college: 0% 2022/23[14]
Further education college: 15% 2022/23[14]
Apprenticeship: 0% 2022/23[14]
Employment: 15% 2022/23[14]

Earlier leavers
Left in	Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment	School sixth form	Sixth-form college	Further education college	Apprenticeship	Employment
2021/22	79%[15]	0%[15]	0%[15]	57%[15]	0%[15]	7%[15]
2020/21	79%[16]	0%[16]	0%[16]	43%[16]	7%[16]	0%[16]
2019/20	82%[17]	0%[17]	0%[17]	47%[17]	0%[17]	0%[17]
2018/19	74%[18]	0%[18]	0%[18]	37%[18]	0%[18]	5%[18]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection: 3 Feb 2026[19]
Type: S5 Inspection[19]
Report published: 26 Apr 2026[19]
Inclusion: Needs attention[19]
Achievement: Needs attention[19]
Safeguarding standards: Met[19]
Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention[19]
Attendance and behaviour: Needs attention[19]
Leadership and governance: Needs attention[19]
Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard[19]

Earlier inspections
Inspection	Type	Overall
6 Oct 2021[20]	Section 8 inspection of good and outstanding schools[20]	No overall grade[20]
Date not published[21]	Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1[21]	Good[21]

Competition to get in

No published data for this school.

Character & practicalities

Type: Foundation special school[1]
Ages: 7–16[1]
Boys / girls: Mixed[1]
Boarding: No boarders[1]
Trust: Kent Special Educational Needs Trust (KSENT)[1]
Local authority: Kent[1]
Website: www.orchard-school.com [1]
District: Canterbury [22]
Postcode: CT1 3QQ[1]
URN: 119058[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll: 110 2024/25[23]
English as an additional language: 0% 2024/25[23]
SEN support: 0% 2024/25[23]
EHC plan: 100% 2024/25[23]
Free school meals in the last 6 years: 77.3% 2024/25[23]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White: 95.8%[24]
Mixed: 3.4%[24]
Asian: 0%[24]
Black: 0.8%[24]
Any other ethnic group: 0%[24]
Unclassified: 0%[24]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quote
It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2017/18, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Key stage 2 attainment: national headlines 2021/22. Period 2021/22. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quotes (2)
We will not publish key stage 2 data for academic year 2021/22 in performance tables (also known as Compare School and College Performance).
This is the first publication of key stage 2 attainment statistics since 2019 due to cancellation of 2020 and 2021 assessments during the pandemic.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2025/26. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2021/22. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2015/16. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.