Newstead Wood School
Avebury Road, Orpington, BR6 9SA
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- UNITED LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Norman
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Sponsor
- United Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Orpington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 955
- Pupils on roll
- 1,347
- URN
- 136551
- Local authority
- Bromley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01689853626
About this school
Newstead Wood School is a girls' secondary academy in Orpington. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,347 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Newstead Wood School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 160 | 159 | 156 |
| Attainment 8 score | 81.5 | 80.2 | 82.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +1.13 +0.90 to +1.37 | +1.05 +0.82 to +1.28 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 100% | 98.1% | 100% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 68% | 56.6% | 74.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.9 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Newstead Wood School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bromley average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 81.5 | 39.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 80.2 | 39.7 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 82.8 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,265 |
| 2023/24 | 1,264 |
| 2024/25 | 1,262 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Newstead Wood School compares
Newstead Wood School ranked 2nd of 19 secondary schools in Bromley for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 100% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 93% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 82.8 | 3.6% | 6.7% | 1,347 | — |
| Darrick Wood School | 51.5 | 6.6% | 15.1% | 1,698 | 0.4 miles |
| St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School | 83.6 | 3.7% | 4.5% | 1,084 | 1.3 miles |
| Bishop Justus CofE School | 37.8 | 9.8% | 33% | 1,016 | 1.6 miles |
| Ravens Wood School | 48.1 | 6.4% | 12.8% | 1,598 | 1.7 miles |
| Harris Academy Orpington | 42.7 | 7.8% | 53.5% | 499 | 1.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 6.65%
- English as an additional language
- 23.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.59%
- Persistent absence
- 4.46%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Darrick Wood School0.4 miles
Secondary · Orpington
-
St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School1.3 miles
Secondary · Orpington
-
Bishop Justus CofE School1.6 miles
Secondary · Bromley
-
Ravens Wood School1.7 miles
Secondary · Bromley
-
Harris Academy Orpington1.9 miles
Secondary
Other schools in Orpington
- Darrick Wood School Secondary
- St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School Secondary
- Chelsfield Primary School Primary
- Crofton Infant School Primary
- Crofton Junior School Primary
- Darrick Wood Infant & Nursery School Primary
- Darrick Wood Junior School Primary
- Downe Primary School Primary
- Farnborough Primary School Primary
- Gray's Farm Primary Academy Primary
- Green Street Green Primary School Primary
- Harris Primary Academy Orpington Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Newstead Wood School teach?
- Newstead Wood School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Orpington.
- Who is the headteacher of Newstead Wood School?
- The headteacher of Newstead Wood School is Mr Paul Norman, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Newstead Wood School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Newstead Wood School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Newstead Wood School?
- Newstead Wood School has 1,347 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Newstead Wood School full?
- Newstead Wood School has capacity for 955 pupils and 1,347 on roll (141%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Newstead Wood School a faith school?
- No. Newstead Wood School has no designated religious character.
- Is Newstead Wood School a selective school?
- Yes. Newstead Wood School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Is Newstead Wood School part of an academy trust?
- Newstead Wood School is part of UNITED LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Newstead Wood School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 81.5 in 2022/23 and 82.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Newstead Wood School compare with other schools in Bromley?
- Newstead Wood School ranked 2nd of 19 secondary schools in Bromley for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 100% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 93% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Newstead Wood School's absence rate?
- Newstead Wood School's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Newstead Wood School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Newstead Wood School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.