Schools and moving house: what parents in Beckenham, West Wickham, Bromley and Orpington need to know.

The deadline this week

Secondary school applications for September 2027 close on Friday 31 October 2026. In Bromley you apply through the council, even for academies and grammar schools. Late applications are only accepted until 7 December with an exceptional reason, and offers come out on 1 March 2027.

Primary and Reception applications for September 2027 close on 15 January 2027, with offers on 16 April.

Passing the St Olave's or Newstead Wood test doesn't give you a place on its own. You still have to name the school on the council form by 31 October.

How Ofsted ratings changed

Since November 2025, Ofsted no longer gives schools a single-word grade like "Outstanding". New inspections produce a report card that rates each area, such as achievement, behaviour and leadership, on a scale from "exceptional" to "urgent improvement". Older grades stay on record until a school is inspected again, so you'll see both kinds below. Read the report, not just the headline.

Beckenham

• Langley Park School for Boys and Langley Park School for Girls: both Good (November 2024 and November 2022). The Girls' school is Outstanding for behaviour and sixth form.
• Harris Academy Beckenham (the former Kelsey Park School, now mixed): remains Outstanding after its May 2023 inspection. From 2027 entry it no longer uses ability banding.
• Harris Girls' Academy Bromley, on Lennard Road in Beckenham: rated Outstanding.
• Orion Eden Park (formerly Eden Park High): its March 2026 report card is strong for behaviour, leadership and personal development, and at the expected standard elsewhere.
• Primaries: Balgowan was Outstanding in every area in April 2025, and Clare House was Outstanding in October 2024. Marian Vian and Langley Park Primary are Good.

West Wickham and Hayes

• Hayes School: Outstanding (2022). There's no secondary school in West Wickham itself.
• Pickhurst Academy (juniors): Outstanding. Pickhurst Infant Academy met the strong standard in all seven areas of its May 2026 report card.
• Oak Lodge and Wickham Common: Good. Hawes Down remains Good. Hayes Primary remains Good.

Bromley and Shortlands

• Bullers Wood School (girls): Good, with Outstanding behaviour (February 2024). Bullers Wood School for Boys: Good (February 2023).
• Orion Ravensbourne (formerly The Ravensbourne School): Good in every area (January 2024).
• Ravens Wood (boys): Good (June 2023). Bishop Justus: Requires Improvement in its February 2025 inspection, with a Good sixth form.
• Primaries: Highfield Infants' in Shortlands was judged exceptional for achievement and for behaviour in its new report card, published this month. Valley Primary and Highfield Junior are Good.
• Bromley High School (independent, girls) met all the required standards at its April 2026 inspection.

Orpington and the grammar schools

• St Olave's (selective, boys): Outstanding in all five areas (November 2024). Registration for September 2027 entry closed in June; the second-stage test is on 13 November. For 2028 entry, registration opens on 7 June 2027.
• Newstead Wood (selective, girls): its April 2026 report card is exceptional for achievement, behaviour and inclusion. This year's tests were on 25 and 26 September.
• Darrick Wood: Good in every area (May 2024). Harris Academy Orpington, which replaced The Priory School: Good, with Outstanding personal development and sixth form (May 2023).

Closed or renamed

Bishop Challoner in Shortlands closed in July 2025. Ashgrove in Bromley closed in 2023, as did Wickham Court School in West Wickham. Coopers in Chislehurst is now Orion Coopers, Kelsey Park is now Harris Academy Beckenham, and The Ravensbourne School is now Orion Ravensbourne. If a listing or an old guide mentions these, it's out of date.

School catchment areas in Bromley: what actually counts

Bromley has no fixed catchment areas. When a school is oversubscribed, most places go by straight-line distance from home after siblings and other priority groups. The distance of the furthest child offered a place is what people call the catchment, and it moves every year. See every school's distance for 2024 to 2026 on my school catchment map, and check your own postcode.

Your address on the deadline is what matters. Most non-selective schools here offer places by distance once siblings and other priority groups are in. The council uses the address where your child lives on the closing date, and it does check. Moving in after the deadline, or using a relative's address, won't count.

Last year's distance isn't a promise. The furthest distance offered changes every year with the number of siblings and applicants. Look at several years, not one.

Renting near a school to apply can backfire. Councils can withdraw a place if they think an address was used only to apply. If you're thinking of doing this, talk to the council first.

No agent can guarantee a school place, and nor can I. What I can do is tell you honestly which roads families have been buying on, and how prices change from one street to the next.

What I'd do

Check the council's admissions booklet for each school you like, read the latest Ofsted report in full, and visit on an open day. If you're buying, do your school homework before you fall in love with a house, not after. And if you'd like to talk through which streets make sense for your family, ask me.

Sources, checked 28 October 2026: Bromley secondary admissions, Bromley primary booklet 2027/28, Ofsted reports, St Olave's key dates, Get Information About Schools. General information only. Always check admissions rules with the council and the school.