Darrick Wood School

Darrick Wood School has been rated as good overall, demonstrating strong performance across all key areas. The school excels in providing a broad and inclusive curriculum that enables students to achieve well academically and personally. Most pupils report enjoying their school experience and appreciate the range of extracurricular activities available, which contribute to their development into responsible adults. However, there are some inconsistencies in the implementation of new strategies aimed at enhancing learning outcomes, particularly for younger students.

Strengths

• Strong academic and personal development supported by a broad curriculum
• Wide range of subjects offered, including vocational courses in the sixth form
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• High expectations leading to good pupil behavior overall
• Strong attendance and active management of safeguarding issues
• Extensive extracurricular activities that enhance students' understanding of the wider world

Areas for Improvement

• Some techniques to support learning are not effective, particularly in Years 7 to 9
• Inconsistencies in the implementation of the revised behaviour policy

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Darrick Wood School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.4% of pupils at Darrick Wood School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Darrick Wood School had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 16.1% of pupils at Darrick Wood School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 13 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2023–24 Darrick Wood School received £7,305 and spent £7,399 for each of its 1,697 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,250,000 (£737 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Impact Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,043 and spending £7,252 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bromley · Bromley local authority: places and applications

Darrick Wood School is part of Impact Multi Academy Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Ravens Wood School Bromley
• Hayes School Bromley
• Hawes Down Primary School West Wickham
• Langley Park Primary School Beckenham
• Langley Park School for Girls Beckenham
• Langley Park School for Boys Beckenham
• Clare House Primary School Beckenham

What is Darrick Wood School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Darrick Wood School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Darrick Wood School last inspected by Ofsted?

Darrick Wood School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Darrick Wood School have?

Darrick Wood School has 1,698 pupils on roll.

What age range does Darrick Wood School cover?

Darrick Wood School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Darrick Wood School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.3, and 51% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Darrick Wood School?

Darrick Wood School is at Lovibonds Avenue, Orpington, Kent, BR6 8ER.