Orion Spires
Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 11–16 · Canterbury, Kent
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
Every applicant was offered a place
From Kent County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
2023–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Orion Spires is a secondary school in Canterbury, Kent for ages 11–16 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 10 January 2023. Kent has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2023 to 2026 entry.
Orion Spires catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Year 7 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Year 7 2026 had 76 first-choice applications for 106 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 30 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- In 2024/25, 22% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), and the Attainment 8 score was 36.1 (England 46).
- Every applicant was offered a Year 7 place in 2026, as at 27 of the 99 other Kent secondary schools with a published Year 7 2026 outcome.
- In January 2026, 43.7% of pupils were eligible for free school meals; the middle figure across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Kent is 26%.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Kent schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Bredlands Lane, Sturry, Canterbury, CT2 0HD
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Kent
- Pupils on roll
- 620 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 43.7% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 15.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 10 January 2023
Strengths
- “Pupils recognise that leaders have raised expectations of how pupils conduct themselves in school.”
- “They feel safe because the school rules make clear how pupils should behave and treat one another with respect.”
- “If bullying does happen, pupils trust staff to help them resolve any conflicts.”
To improve
- “While pupils know how to keep themselves safe and healthy, not all pupils receive the education they need about relationships and sex education, as well as valuable guidance around future careers.”
- “This means that not all pupils in Years 10 and 11 feel well prepared for the next stage in their education and life.”
- “Leaders from the multi-academy trust recognise how frequent changes to leadership have had a negative impact on pupils’ learning, behaviour and attendance.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 2 March 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 22% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 36.1 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 76 first-preference applications, 106 offers in total, 76 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Kent.
- Barton Manor School 3.4 mi Not judged Last distance published
- The Archbishop's School 3.5 mi Good Last distance published
- Barton Court Grammar School 3.5 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Herne Bay High School 3.7 mi Good Last distance published
- Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School 4.0 mi School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next Last distance published
- St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury 4.0 mi Good Last distance published
- The Canterbury Academy 4.4 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys 4.5 mi Not judged Last distance published