Darrick Wood School

Darrick Wood School is a mainstream, co-educational, non-denominational secondary academy for 1700 children aged 11-18. It is situated in Orpington, Kent. In its most recent inspection by Ofsted (January 2019) the School was judged as “Good” in all areas.

The school was founded in 1975. In June 2004, it was awarded specialist status in technology. In 2010, Darrick Wood converted to academy status and a new Sixth-Form building was completed.

In 2015, the secondary school was awarded the World Class Schools quality mark.

Headteacher

Dr Martin Airey

Values and vision

Parents, pupils and staff agree that the School’s core values are respect, honesty and responsibility. These combine with an ethos of high expectation, where the whole School community works together to achieve the best possible outcomes for all. This is all encapsulated within the School’s motto Revereor Vitam, to have a reverence for life. We seek to provide a caring, secure and disciplined environment in which all can learn and flourish. Darrick Wood School provides a broad and balanced curriculum founded on strong academic traditions, and encourages students to further develop through participation in a wide range of enrichment activities.

Ofsted report

“Leaders are ambitious for all pupils and are committed to improving their life chances. Leaders communicate their high aspirations successfully to pupils, parents, carers and staff.”

“Pupils are well behaved and polite. They treat each other with respect and dignity. Staff ensure that pupils are safe in the school.”

“Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school. They value the leadership provided by the Headteacher and his leadership team.”

View Darrick Wood School’s latest Ofsted report