Darrick Wood school & other comps?

[Frosticles]

We’re hoping to move to Orpington this year but don’t know much about the schools. We have 3 daughters, ages 6,4 & 2, not sure they’re all bright enough for grammar so we’re keen to ensure we have a great comprehensive within walk/bus distance. We’ve viewed a house v close to Darrick Wood schools- do these schools have a good reputation? Any other good comprehensive secondaries? Also I’ve heard that Newstead girls grammar has a good rep - would people agree? Thanks in advance

Darrick Wood has a good reputation, it didn’t do great during lock down but then many schools didn’t. My daughter went to Newstead and really thrived there. It is more competitive than other girls grammars available so bear in mind some Orpington girls go to Weald of Kent Grammar. Chislehurst & Sidcup (coed) or Townley.

Crofton is a great school for primary years. There is Darrick primary but I am not so familiar with it and don’t know why parents seem to prefer Tubbenden or Crofton.

Thank you @PettsWoodParadise really helpful!

Didn’t know Newstead was super selective, so even if they pass the 11+ they might not get in? Bexleyheath, Tonbridge and Sidcup all sound like quite a journey. Hmmmm.

Do you know how far out the Darrick secondary catchment goes? We’re looking at a few houses in Chelsfield and they’re 1.5miles from Darrick.

For Newstead they have their own test. If a child with Pupil Premium, within 9 miles and gets 210 then they qualify. For non-PP it is based on the score so there is no ‘pass’. The quaoufy My score is based on where they rank (1400 plus sit the test for 168 places) depends how popular the school is, how many take up places etc. For Weald of Kent it is a pass in the Kent test then distance, for Bexley grammars it is pass and distance unless top 180, for Tonbridge Grammar they have a few places for out of county and score has to be really high. They are all different.

I’m near Chelsfield @Frosticles our DD will be going to secondary next sept. We viewed Darrick & Knole in Sevenoaks last year was impressed by both. DD wants to sit the 11+ - Knole has a grammar stream. Newstead is our nearest school, it’s super selective. We have friends who viewed last year a couple of them loved it, some didn’t. Further in to Bromley is Hayes is another good mixed school.

Darrick Wood secondary catchment has traditionally gone out about 1.3 miles but may change if they build a lot of houses nearby, there is a big Bassetts site they’ve been redeveloping and don’t know if that is complete. It could also increase as by the ages of your children the birth rate has been lower and the current freeing up of places in primaries may well feed through to secondaries by the time they are old enough.

Bromley publish a booklet with all the information in, I would dig it out but have an early start tmw so do have to call it a night.

My niece and nephew went to Crofton then Derrick Wood. They did well there.

We are just out of the catchment for Darrick though atm. See a few kids with the uniform around where we live. The catchment favours more central locksbottom, farnbrough & the roads nr farnborough & keston gated estates

Tonbridge is on a direct train from Orpington. It's not an excessive journey. A lot of kids do it.

Weald has a grammar "annexe" in Sevenoaks.

If you chose your house carefully there are several other good schools that you might possibly be in catchment for. Hayes School for instance. Newstead has quite a long distance as long as you score high enough in 11+.

Luckily for you, the the comps, birth rates fell from 2013. Pity those of us with 2012-13 babies trying to secure a place this year!

Thanks so much everyone! 🙏 If we lived in Glentrammon Road / Glentrammon Avenue / Highfield Ave then sounds like we wouldn’t get into Darrick (1.4miles), even though it’s the closest comp…so where does that leave Chelsfield kids who don’t pass 11+? Harris Academy? Does that have a good reputation?

(If you know of any websites that can provide info on catchments/ further distance offered, then please direct me! Haven’t found much info of use on the Bromley website). Thank you again 🙏

From Glentrammon Rd, you'd get into Charles Darwin School in Biggin Hill. It's an excellent school. There is a bus that goes from Green Street Green into the school grounds. My DCs went there and are now at top unis. DM me if you like.

Bromley secondary school booklet with distances last offered is on this page: https://www.bromley.gov.uk/secondary-school-admissions/secondary-school-places

Hi, hoping we can pick up this threat again,

we are also looking to move in to the area and looking at crofton and chelsfield, we really like the look of darrick as it means all our children can go to the same school. By the sounds of it the catchment for Darrick is getting smaller and smaller, I understand it is under a mile now.
@Frosticles I hope you don’t mind me asking, did you find a suitable area for what you were looking for ?

https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=default&table=schools&region=305&geographic=la&for=secondary&genderofentry=2&orderby=ks4.0.P8_BANDING&orderdir=asc

Compares the Bromley secondary schools based on progress 8. Putting it here in case someone else finds the thread

I assume you have already submitted your application and heard back @Frosticles ? How did you get on?

I think the big bulge of birth years has now passed so things should be easing up for places in Secondary schools, saying that there is no perfect guarantee. It looks like Darrick came out 1.35 miles again for 2024 and before that was 1.1 miles whether that is a trend only time will tell https://www.bromley.gov.uk/downloads/file/1863/secondary-education-in-bromley-2025-2026

Darrick Wood secondary had a recent ofsted in May 2024 and it was classified again as good.

For boys Ravenswood is popular. For girls Chislehurst School for Girls has Crofton as a feeder school and may be part of the reason that it seems to be on the up and is starting to be more popular.