Orion Spires
Performance (KS4 GCSE)
Three-year trends
Last three years of DfE data. How to read trends
Ofsted judgements
Getting a place
Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this
Every child who put Orion Spires first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.
Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).
School profile
- Age range
- 11–16
- Pupils on roll
- 667
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Admissions
- Non-Selective
Pupil background
Special educational needs
Attendance
Staffing & funding
“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means
What pupils do next
The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.
DfE, KS4 destination measures.
Nearby secondary schools
Location
Official sources
About Orion Spires
Orion Spires is a secondary school in Canterbury, Kent, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. Around 667 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 36.1 — below the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 1.1 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.
22% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well below the national average of about 45%. 47% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Orion Spires their first choice was offered one of its 106 Year 7 places. After Year 11, 84% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 12.9%. There are about 14.4 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 41% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. When you visit, you might ask how the school stretches its higher-attaining pupils and supports those who need to catch up. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.