Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 June 2026

Pupils are proud to attend Stoke High School. They have a deep sense of belonging. Pupils muster at the beginning and end of every day. This sends positivity and celebrates successes. Pupils benefit from warm and approachable relationships with staff. This means pupils feel valued and 'at home'. The school plays an active role in the local community. Pupils value the diversity among the school's population. They are proud to share their heritage and feel that it is celebrated. This celebration includes a map that shares the origins of staff and pupils, as well as international dancing on the playground. This results in pupils being part of a vibrant community where everybody is welcomed and valued. Pupils appreciate the open relationships that they have with leaders. This means that they feel consulted when making suggestions about the school and its future. Pupils understand that their achievements are celebrated through the use of a popular rewards system called 'Stokies' and celebration assemblies. They talk fondly about the relationships and ethos that these initiatives continually build. Pupils behave with maturity and kindness. They display the school's core values of 'respect, inspire and achieve'. Older students demonstrate these core values by supporting younger pupils with their reading through the 'blank page' mentor scheme. Pupils benefit from a wide range of mechanisms to support them to be successful in their learning. They feel that these make a positive difference to the structure and accessibility of learning. This includes a 'set up for success' initiative, which ensures that pupils who need extra support can receive it discreetly and quickly. While this positive experience is not yet translated into published examination results, leaders are aware of this and are making progress to ensure that pupils achieve in line with national averages.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should continue their targeted work on attendance to ensure that this continues to embed fully and have an impact on all groups of pupils.
• Leaders should monitor the quality of work produced by students to ensure that it consistently demonstrates the development of newly acquired learning.
• Leaders should ensure that their actions to improve achievement translate into improved outcomes in external tests and examinations.

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