Schools near Orpington

Primary schools: Borough-wide catchment area maps published and reviewed annually, though only 3 of ~102 schools follow the LA default directly (rest are academies). (source)

Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.

Orpington straddles a council boundary: the scheme above is Bromley's, and Kent also has schools here, applying under its own.

Bromley's two grammar schools test separately: 1. Newstead Wood School (girls) — GL Assessment: two multiple-choice papers in verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, each around 50-60 minutes, taken on the same day with a short break. 2. St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School (boys) — TWO STAGES: Stage 1 is a one-hour Selective Eligibility Test of roughly 60 multiple-choice questions across four sections; the top-scoring boys (historically around 450) are invited to Stage 2 in November — two one-hour written papers taken on the same day. Offers are based on Stage 2 performance plus the school's oversubscription criteria. Registration deadlines differ (Newstead Wood closes end of June; St Olave's window is short, in June) — check both schools' pages early in Year 5.

Bromley's two grammar schools run SEPARATE tests with separate registrations: Newstead Wood School (girls) and St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School (boys). Applying to both is not possible for one child (different genders), but note each school's process is its own. Both schools accept out-of-borough applicants and draw from across south-east London and Kent. Newstead Wood registration historically runs 1 May to 30 June of Year 5; St Olave's registration is a SHORT window (historically early-to-late June). Register direct with the school, then apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October. Criteria impact: Newstead Wood has historically used an outer-distance eligibility criterion (a maximum home-to-school distance for most places) — check the current admissions policy carefully if you live far away. St Olave's allocates primarily on test rank with some faith-based and other criteria.