Cliff Park Ormiston Academy Review 2026: A secondary academy with clearer routines and a local, practical curriculum tilt

Cliff Park Ormiston Academy serves students aged 11 to 16 in Gorleston, within Norfolk local authority. It sits within Ormiston Academies Trust, having joined the trust in January 2014, and it operates a structured school day that starts early, with breakfast available from 8:00am and morning enrichment before lessons begin.

Leadership stability has been an important theme in recent years. Harry French is the current Principal, and earlier official reporting states he was appointed in April 2022.

For parents weighing up overall quality, the most useful recent signal is the latest inspection profile. The latest Ofsted inspection (29 and 30 April 2025) judged Quality of education, Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development, and Leadership and management as Good.

On outcomes, the FindMySchool GCSE ranking places the academy 3,592nd in England and 6th in Great Yarmouth for GCSE outcomes, which is consistent with performance sitting below England average overall (bottom 40% band). This is a school where the story is as much about improvement momentum and day to day consistency as it is about headline grades.

The academy’s published language places a strong emphasis on routine, expectations, and character. Day to day organisation is reinforced through a clear timetable, line up, and morning enrichment, which signals a deliberate attempt to set a calm tone before lessons begin.

Behaviour is framed through “Behaviour for Learning” and a set of “Everyday Expectations”, with a stated belief that students should respond promptly to adult instructions and build self discipline over time. The important implication for families is fit. Students who do best tend to be those who respond well to predictable structures and who benefit from adults being explicit about learning habits and classroom conduct.

Bullying is addressed in direct language, including a clear statement that bullying is not tolerated and an online reporting route for incidents. The practical upside is that students and parents have a defined mechanism for raising concerns, rather than relying on informal escalation alone.

Safeguarding leadership is clearly signposted, with a named Designated Safeguarding Lead and several deputies listed publicly. That transparency matters because it makes accountability easy for families to understand, and it reduces friction when something needs to be shared quickly.

Cliff Park Ormiston Academy is a state secondary with no sixth form, so the core published performance picture is at GCSE level.

FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking places the academy 3,592nd in England and 6th within Great Yarmouth for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). Its percentile band indicates performance sits below England average overall, within the lower tier nationally.

The academy’s Attainment 8 score is 34.5 and Progress 8 is -0.7. EBacc average point score is 2.88. These measures, taken together, point to a cohort that has not been achieving as strongly as many schools nationally, and where accelerating progress has been a priority.

The most useful way to interpret this as a parent is to separate two questions. First, what is the current direction of travel in daily teaching and behaviour. Second, what is the likely outcomes profile for a child who is already performing at, above, or below age related expectations on entry. The inspection profile and the explicit focus on routine suggest the academy has been tightening delivery. Grades still matter, but so does whether lessons are orderly, expectations are clear, and attendance is actively managed, because those are the conditions that allow outcomes to improve.

Curriculum intent is presented as aligned with the National Curriculum, with subject breadth that includes both traditional academic subjects and more applied routes at key stage 4. The published subjects list includes, among others, Design Engineering Technology, Catering and Hospitality, Health and Social Care, Media Studies, Sociology, and Travel and Tourism. For many families, that combination is the point. It can suit students who want a practical pathway alongside core qualifications, rather than a narrowly academic offer.

A distinctive feature is the Key Stage Three “Maritime Curriculum”, delivered through a maritime lens as part of the Maritime Futures model. In practical terms, this is intended to make curriculum content feel connected to real industries and local opportunity, rather than abstract. The implication for students is higher engagement for those who learn best when knowledge is linked to concrete contexts, projects, and future routes.

The academy also describes a shift towards knowledge organisers and retrieval focused learning, with the stated aim of helping students learn, retain and recall key knowledge. This tends to suit families who want clear, trackable learning content that can be revised at home in a structured way.

With no sixth form on site, post 16 planning needs to be active and timely. The academy states that careers education is delivered through form time and PSHE across Years 7 to 11, alongside encounters such as information evenings and visits intended to help students understand routes into further education, training, and employment.

Work related learning is also referenced, including Year 8 work shadowing and Year 10 work experience. The implication is that students are expected to make choices with exposure to workplaces, not only classroom discussion, which can be a strong fit for students who need to see the purpose behind qualification routes.

Because specific destination institutions and proportions are not provided in the supplied dataset for this school, parents considering Year 11 should use open evenings and careers appointments to clarify local options and entry requirements, including which providers are most common for academic A level routes versus technical and vocational pathways.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Norfolk County Council. The academy’s admissions page states that applications for the September 2026 intake opened in September 2025 and that the deadline for the local authority common application form was 31 October 2025.

Norfolk’s published timetable for secondary transfer for September 2026 sets out key dates clearly, including applications opening on 11 September 2025, closing on 31 October 2025, and National Offer Day on 2 March 2026. Appeals closing date is shown as 27 March 2026.

When oversubscribed, the academy’s published oversubscription criteria prioritise, in order, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the academy, looked after and previously looked after children, children living in the designated catchment area, siblings, then children outside catchment attending a primary school within catchment, with distance used as a tie breaker.

Demand indicators in the supplied dataset show 255 applications for 143 offers for the relevant entry route, with oversubscription status recorded as oversubscribed and a subscription proportion of 1.78 applications per place. That is meaningful because it suggests some competition for places, even if the main admissions driver will vary year to year.

Families using distance as part of their planning should use the FindMySchoolMap Search tool to check home to school distance precisely, then compare it with the last offered distances when those are available for the relevant year.

Pastoral systems show up most clearly in three places, safeguarding, attendance, and behaviour routines.

On safeguarding, the academy publishes a named safeguarding team, including the Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputies, which makes it easier for families to understand escalation routes.

Attendance expectations are explicit. Parents are asked to notify the academy by 8:30am on each day of absence, and punctuality is framed as a precondition for learning. This matters because in schools working to improve outcomes, daily attendance is often one of the highest leverage inputs.

Behaviour expectations are explained as part of a “Behaviour for Learning” approach, with an emphasis on self discipline, routines, and consistent adult authority. For some students, that clarity reduces anxiety because expectations are predictable. For others, it can feel strict, so it is worth probing how sanctions and rewards work in practice, and how the academy supports students who struggle with regulation.

The academy positions enrichment as part of character development, available before school, at lunchtime, and after school, with the programme updated termly. The key point for parents is to ask, each term, what is currently running and what the take up looks like in the year group, because enrichment quality is often about participation rather than brochure claims.

Two named elements stand out in the published material. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is promoted as part of the enrichment offer, which can suit students who benefit from structured goals, volunteering, physical activity, and extended projects.

The academy also runs student leadership opportunities, positioned as a way for students to contribute to academy improvement and voice. That can be particularly valuable for students who respond well to responsibility and who thrive when trusted with meaningful roles.

On facilities, the academy advertises lettings that include a sports hall, gym, astro turf and drama studio. The implication for day to day life is that sport and performance spaces are available on site, which usually increases the likelihood that activities can run consistently through the year.

The academy day is clearly structured. Breakfast is available from 8:00am, students are expected on site by 8:25am, Period 1 begins at 8:55am, and the formal end of day is 3:00pm. The academy states it is open from 8:00am to 4:15pm on weekdays, with after school clubs, activities and quiet study spaces available until 4:15pm.

Transport information indicates that Norfolk County Council contracts local bus companies to run school buses, with timetable information routed through Norfolk’s school transport and bus timetable pages. Behaviour expectations apply to bus use, with the academy stating that students may be removed from the service if conduct falls below expectations.

Term dates for 2025 to 2026 are published on the academy website, including Autumn term starting 3 September 2025 and Summer term ending 17 July 2026.

• Outcomes remain a work in progress. The school’s FindMySchool GCSE ranking and the supplied attainment and progress measures indicate performance has been below England average, so parents should ask for the school’s current improvement priorities, how teaching is quality assured, and what targeted support looks like for students who enter behind expected levels.

• A structured behaviour approach is central. The published behaviour model is explicit about routines and immediate compliance with adult direction. This can suit many students, but families should explore how this feels in practice for children who need additional support with regulation.

• Post 16 pathways need planning. With no sixth form, the transition after Year 11 is an extra decision point. Families should engage early with careers guidance to understand local provider options and entry requirements.

• Admissions demand exists. The supplied demand data indicates oversubscription for the entry route, so families outside catchment should be realistic and should use official criteria and distances rather than informal assumptions.

Cliff Park Ormiston Academy is a local 11 to 16 secondary that has leaned hard into clearer routines, attendance expectations, and a curriculum shaped to feel relevant, including a maritime themed Key Stage Three approach. The latest inspection profile supports the picture of stronger consistency across education, behaviour, and leadership than the previous inspection era.

It is best suited to families who want an orderly school day, practical curriculum options at key stage 4, and strong careers exposure before Year 11 decisions. The central question for many parents will be how quickly outcomes continue to improve, and how well the academy supports students who need extra help to catch up.