Orchard Park High School
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Orchard Park High School is a sponsored academy in Croydon for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 675 pupils and room for 1,000. About 40 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 60 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.
Orchard Way, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 7NJ020 8776 0220orchardparkhigh.co.ukMrs Carly Moran headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 24 January 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
103 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Croydon | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 103 | 131 | 114 | 131 | 161 | 204 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 44.8 | 49.7 | 50.6 | 49.8 | 44.0 | 43.3 | 44.5 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.37 | +0.51 | +0.52 | +0.18 | -0.05 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 45% | 53% | 55% | 56% | 37% | 32% | 41% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 63% | 74% | 71% | 73% | 60% | 55% | 61% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.84 | 4.31 | 4.29 | 4.04 | 3.63 | 3.57 | 4.02 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 23% | 24% | 18% | 11% | 17% | 18% | 55% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 45.3 | 44.1 | 45.4 | 41.8 | 39.5 | 38.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 44.4 | 54.6 | 54.8 | 56.7 | 47.3 | 46.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 29.5 | 35.0 | 32.8 | 25.2 | 24.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 70.7 | 68.0 | 75.9 | 55.8 | 61.0 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 15 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Drama (20% here, 60% across England), Art and Design (24% here, 58% across England), Biology (53% here, 82% across England), Physics (53% here, 82% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 102 | 20% | 47% | 68% | 53% | 1,914 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 102 | 19% | 67% | 78% | 58% | 821 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 102 | 13% | 43% | 65% | 54% | 2,344 of 3,210 |
| History | 79 | 10% | 38% | 53% | 52% | 2,371 of 3,126 |
| Physics | 53 | 17% | 53% | 76% | 82% | 2,323 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 53 | 23% | 59% | 77% | 81% | 2,209 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 53 | 15% | 53% | 76% | 82% | 2,350 of 2,570 |
| Business | 50 | 6% | 40% | 60% | 51% | 1,189 of 1,806 |
| Combined Science | 49 | 2% | 16% | 39% | 36% | 2,787 of 3,084 |
| Social Studies | 42 | 10% | 33% | 45% | 54% | 891 of 1,043 |
| Geography | 37 | 24% | 49% | 70% | 51% | 1,500 of 3,116 |
| Art and Design | 33 | 6% | 24% | 55% | 58% | 2,637 of 2,818 |
| Drama | 25 | 0% | 20% | 32% | 60% | 814 of 844 |
| French | 13 | 15% | 77% | 92% | 60% | – |
| Spanish | 10 | 10% | 20% | 60% | 54% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2019
29 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 29 | 60 | 98 | 85 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 20.22 | 24.90 | 18.46 | 25.66 |
| Average A level grade | D | D+ | D | C- |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 20.33 | 24.22 | 17.35 | 25.83 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 0% | 0% | 3% | 13% |
| A level progressA level value added | -0.36 | +0.15 | -0.55 | -0.59 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 65% | 78% | 90% | – |
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
566 places were empty (47% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Croydon council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 20 pupils, for speech, language and communication.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Croydon with speech, language and communication provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (44), language and communications needs (42), Autistic spectrum disorder (33), Specific learning difficulty (27), Hearing impairment (3), Moderate learning difficulty (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 675 | 634 | 639 | 633 | 659 | 674 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 40% | 38% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 35% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 15% | 17% | 19% | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 14% | 11% | 14% | 15% | 12% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.6% | 9.2% | 10.5% | 9.9% | 6.8% | 5.3% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.6% | 4.5% | 5.8% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 2.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.0% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 4.0% | 1.9% | 2.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 21.6% | 26.0% | 32.7% | 34.0% | 20.2% | 12.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 72.7 | 68.6 | 54.2 | 70.1 | 41.7 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 114 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 94%, compared with 98% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 96% | 88% | 92% | 93% |
| Education | 94% | 82% | 91% | 91% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 1% | 3% | 1% | 2% |
| Not in education, work or training | 3% | 8% | 4% | 6% |
After sixth form
Where the 12 pupils who left in 2016/17 were a year later.
Where the ones heading for university went
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orion Eden Park | Free school | 0.7 miles | 1,148 | Report card 2026 | 31 | Compare |
| Langley Park School for Boys | Academy | 0.8 miles | 1,823 | Not inspected | 80 | Compare |
| Langley Park School for Girls | Academy | 1.0 miles | 1,714 | Good 2022 | 76 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy Shirley Park | Academy | 1.1 miles | 1,017 | No overall grade 2024 | 43 | Compare |
| Shirley High School Performing Arts College | Academy | 1.1 miles | 800 | Good 2022 | 15 | Compare |
| Coloma Convent Girls' School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 967 | Report card 2026 | 84 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy Arena | Academy | 1.2 miles | 310 | Report card 2026 | 18 | Compare |
| Harris Academy Beckenham | Academy | 1.3 miles | 1,302 | Outstanding 2023 | 85 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Orchard Park High School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 60 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 60% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 49 to 69. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.04 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 103 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.03 | DfE progress measure; 103 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | 0.00 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.03 | 2024/25; 685 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well above | +0.13 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 103 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | above | +0.02 | 114 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Orchard Park High School a good school?
It is about average. Orchard Park High School scores 60 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 49 to 69, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Orchard Park High School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Orchard Park High School good at its last full inspection on 24 January 2024.
How good are Orchard Park High School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 45% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 44.8, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Orchard Park High School have?
675 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,000 places, so it is 68% full.
Is Orchard Park High School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 566 places were empty in 2024/25 (47% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Orchard Park High School?
Pupils were in school 92.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Orchard Park High School?
The average class had 28.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 21% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Orchard Park High School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Orchard Park High School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 96% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Orchard Way, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 7NJ
- Telephone
- 020 8776 0220
- Website
- www.orchardparkhigh.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Carly Moran
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Greenshaw Learning Trust (39 schools)
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Ward
- Shirley North
- Constituency
- Croydon East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2015 (new provision)
- URN
- 142040 · LAESTAB 3064004 · UKPRN 10049671
- Formerly
- Edenham High School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.