Orion Spires
Bredlands Lane, Canterbury, CT2 0HD
620 pupils · 83% of 750 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- ORION EDUCATION
- Local authority
- Kent
- Free school meals
- 43.8%
Ofsted
Good (2023) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 10 January 2023, published 1 March 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 36.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 21.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 47% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 10.4% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Usually has places available — 0.72 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 106 | 76 | 268 | 97 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 117 | 68 | 245 | 90 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 137 | 96 | 304 | 121 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 138 | 98 | 315 | 138 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 147 | 108 | 301 | 147 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 145 | 86 | 366 | 145 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 148 | 106 | 315 | 130 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 150 | 122 | 279 | 143 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Barton Manor School 5.5 km · No overall grade (2025)
- The Archbishop's School 5.6 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Barton Court Grammar School 5.7 km · Good (2020) · previous system
- Herne Bay High School 6 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School 6.5 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury 6.5 km · Good (2023) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.