St Olave’s directions on exam day
On St Olave’s 11+ entrance exam day hundreds cars descend on local roads. The result can be total chaos, with roads choc-a-block with stressed parents who did not plan their journey. This is not helped by the official address of the the school being Goddington Lane which in places resembles a cart track covered in tarmac. Note that the school tells parents to use the Park Avenue entrance for good reason. The information on this page will help you to deliver your son relaxed and super chilled to one of the most important exams of his life. But first, in case you found this page when driving at warp factor four down the M25, here are some vital quick links for last minute navigation:
The school postcode
(the Park Avenue entrance is next to 56 Park Avenue, Orpington)
About Goddington Lane
Goddington Lane is the official address of St Olave’s grammar school. So this is the address you will be taken to by your sat nav and any Google search. It is also the entrance that the school tells parents not to use. The school always directs parents to use the Park Avenue entrance. There is a good reason for this since in places Goddington Lane resembles a cart track covered in tarmac. To add the confusion Goddington Lane extends both sides of the Orpington by pass, the east part leads to Goddington Park.
So Goddington Lane is where you do not want to go.
About Park Avenue
Park Avenue is the second entrance to St Olave’s. This is the entrance the school tells parents to use on entrance exam days. To navigate to this entrance use this address which is the property next to the gates:
56 Park Avenue, Orpington, BR6 9EG
On entrance exam day parking rules are suspended and cones are put out. You may be allowed to drop off, but you cannot park.
Best parking advice
The best place to park for St Olave’s exam day is Orpington Tesco which has 591 car park spaces in an underground carpark on three levels. Tescos is only 10 minutes walk to the Park Avenue entrance St Olave’s uses on 11+ entrance test day. You can park up and take a stress free stroll to the school. If you are early, and you should be, you can visit the Costa Coffee shop inside Tescos. Be careful you can only leave your car for 2 hours, so you will probably have to re-park. This is the address for Orpington Tesco:
Tesco Extra, 9 Augustus Ln, Orpington BR6 0NH
Tesco to St Olaves Park Avenue entrance
Link to Google Maps with the route from Orpington Tesco to St Olaves Park Avenue entrance.