Orchards Academy is a mainstream secondary school with resourced provision in Swanley, Kent, for children and young people aged 11 to 18. Its specialist base has 12 places for autism.
- Ages 11–18
- 554 pupils
School details
- Type
- Mainstream school with resourced provision
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Specialist base
- Resourced provision, 12 places, 6 pupils
- Pupils
- 554
- Headteacher
- Mrs Hannah Carter (Headteacher)
- Part of
- The Kemnal Academies Trust
- Council
- Kent
- School reference (URN)
- 136304
Needs its base supports
1 need: autism
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision are usually for children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask about the base
See the school and its specialist base, and ask how children split their time between the base and mainstream classes.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Kent council) that you want this school and its base, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school, so ask how they decide.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Graded by area, March 2025; school remains Good (July 2021)
Inspected in March 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Good (ungraded inspection, July 2021).
Contact and getting there
St Mary's Road, Swanley, BR8 7TE
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- SupaJam Education In Music and Media Independent · Ages 16–25 0.0 miles
- The Annex School House Independent · Ages 8–16 · Ofsted: Good 0.7 miles
- Parkwood Hall Academy Trust Special school · Ages 8–19 1.0 mile
By need in Kent: Autism (63) · Speech and language (32) · Physical (14) · SEMH (11) · Severe learning (11) · PMLD (11) · Moderate learning (10) · Hearing (10) · Vision (8) · Dyslexia and SpLD (4) · Multi-sensory (3)
Questions about Orchards Academy
How do I get a place in Orchards Academy’s specialist base?
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult the school about its base. If the school is named in the plan it must admit your child; places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school.
What needs does Orchards Academy support?
Autism. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Orchards Academy take?
Aged 11 to 18, boys and girls.
What is Orchards Academy’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2025 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Orchards Academy?
St Mary's Road, Swanley, BR8 7TE, in Kent.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.