Ormiston Park Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 May 2024

Pupils are beginning to benefit from a new, positive culture in the school. New leadership has injected a sense of ambition for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Historically, pupils have not achieved well. However, a new curriculum and targeted staff development are helping most pupils begin to learn better. Most pupils have responded positively to raised expectations of their behaviour. Pupils now enjoy a learning environment that is mostly free from disruption. They move around the school site calmly and purposefully. However, some pupils struggle to maintain these standards. As a result, other pupils' learning gets interrupted from time to time. Some pupils have not yet developed a positive attitude to school. Demotivated by their past experiences, they are sometimes passive and disengaged. Some pupils do not attend school regularly. This results in gaps in their learning. Pupils in the ASCEND centre, the school's specially resourced provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs (specially resourced provision), are well catered for. Pupils' individual needs are clearly understood, and adults adapt their approaches accordingly. Consequently, pupils' learning is beginning to improve. Weekly enrichment activities, such as kayaking, contribute towards helping pupils to develop important skills such as teamwork.

What the school should improve

• Curriculum plans do not always make it clear how learning links to what pupils should already know. This means that teachers do not always use what pupils know effectively in order to support new learning. The school should ensure that curriculum plans make clear links to previous learning, and teachers understand how to use this information effectively so as to support pupils to learn what the school intends and achieve consistently well.
• Some teachers have not had enough training to ensure that they are able to deliver the curriculum as intended. Some instructions are too long and vague. Learning activities do not always help pupils secure the key information they have been taught. This means that pupils do not always learn what the school intends. The school should ensure that all teachers have the training and support that enables them to deliver the planned curriculum consistently.
• The school's assessment strategy does not inform teachers effectively about what pupils have learned. This means teachers do not know what key knowledge pupils have secured, or how to adapt future curriculum planning to address gaps. The school should ensure that there is a robust assessment strategy that checks what pupils remember over time.
• Despite recent improvements, some pupils do not attend school regularly. As a result, these pupils have gaps in their learning. The school should continue to review its approaches to ensure that it uses the most effective strategies to improve pupils' attendance.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)