The Orchard SchoolSt Nicholas' School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Canterbury.
Summary of the comparison
This page compares The Orchard School and St Nicholas' School in Canterbury.
Neither school has a composite score. Our score needs published attainment data, which is not available for every school or every nation.
The Orchard School was judged in need of attention and St Nicholas' School was judged Good.
On the share of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, the latest published figures are 0.0% for The Orchard School and 0.0% for St Nicholas' School.
The share of pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 has held broadly level at The Orchard School (0.0% in 2022-23, 0.0% in 2024-25) and has held broadly level at St Nicholas' School (0.0% in 2022-23, 0.0% in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | CanterburyThe Orchard School | CanterburySt Nicholas' School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | Not scored | Not scored | |
| Local ranking | Not ranked | Not ranked | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Needs attention | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | |
| School type | Foundation special school | Community special school | |
| Age range | 7-16 | 4-19 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 119 | 402 | |
| Capacity | Not reported | 340 | |
| Location | Canterbury, CT1 3QQ | Canterbury, CT1 3JJ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 6.6 | Not reported | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 0.0% | Not reported | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 0.0% | Not reported | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 0.0% | Not reported | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 0.67 | Not reported | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 13 | 33 | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | 0.0% | 0.0% | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | 0.0% | 0.0% | 8.0% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 110 | 390 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 77.3% | 53.0% | |
| English as an additional language | 0.0% | 8.7% | |
| SEN support | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 100.0% | 100.0% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 26.4% | 11.1% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 58.3% | 38.6% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
The Orchard School
St Nicholas' School
Full profiles: The Orchard School · St Nicholas' School