Flegg High Ormiston Academy Review 2026: A Structured Secondary with Improving Behaviour and a Clear Daily Routine

There is a very specific rhythm to life at Flegg High Ormiston Academy. The day begins with personalised learning, runs through five taught periods, then finishes with an organised enrichment block that is built into the timetable rather than treated as an optional extra. The academy is part of Ormiston Academies Trust, and leadership is set up to run alongside a partner school, which matters for how improvement work is driven and supported.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (11 and 12 February 2025) judged the quality of education as Requires improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were all judged Good. The same report describes significantly improved behaviour since the previous inspection, alongside priorities for making classroom practice more consistently effective.

The academy’s stated values are Kindness, Aspiration, and Respect, and these are positioned as the language that underpins routines and expectations. That values-led framing is reinforced in formal evaluation, where pupils describe feeling safe, knowing who the safeguarding team are, and seeing follow-up when worries are raised.

Leadership is currently configured around a senior principal model. The senior principal is Mr S Gilbert-Barnham, and the role is explicitly linked to partnership leadership across schools, with the February 2025 inspection report noting that he took up post as senior principal in January 2025 following the departure of the previous principal. This context is important because it frames the academy as being in a phase of consolidation, with stability and consistent practice as the near-term goal.

The academy organises students into named colleges, including Aspire College, Create College, Innovate College, and Senior Year College. In practice, this can give families a clearer sense of who holds day-to-day responsibility for year-group culture and communication, especially during a period when improvement work needs consistent follow-through.

At GCSE level, the academy’s Attainment 8 score is 39.6, and the average EBacc APS is 3.52. The percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is 9.2%. Progress 8 is -0.56, which indicates that, on average, students have made below-average progress from their starting points compared with similar pupils nationally.

Rankings provide another lens for parents comparing local options. Ranked 2956th in England and 5th in Great Yarmouth for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the academy sits below England average, within the bottom 40% of ranked secondary schools in England.

The most useful implication is practical rather than abstract. Families should expect the academy to be working hard on consistency, including how well classroom checks for understanding translate into better outcomes over time. The February 2025 inspection report identifies assessment use and structured classroom discussion as areas where practice is not yet reliably strong across subjects, so progress in these areas is likely to be a key indicator in future results.

Parents comparing results with other schools in the area can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view these measures side-by-side, which is usually more informative than looking at any single number in isolation.

The academy describes an ambitious curriculum designed to be accessible to all students, and external evaluation confirms that students access a broad curriculum supported by trust subject curriculums that set out how knowledge builds over time. In English, for example, themes are developed through reading a suitable range of texts, with literature and books positioned as a thread through the curriculum.

Where the academy is still tightening practice is in the day-to-day mechanics of learning: checking what students know, identifying misconceptions quickly, and using classroom dialogue to deepen understanding. This matters because it is often the difference between students completing work and students improving in the underlying knowledge and skill that leads to stronger outcomes at GCSE.

Support for students with special educational needs and disabilities is described as being under active development. SEND systems and processes have been revised and improved, but the February 2025 inspection report indicates that adjustments are not always precisely matched to needs, which can limit how well some students achieve. For families, the key question to explore is how the academy identifies specific barriers to learning and how subject teachers translate that into consistent classroom adaptations.

As an 11 to 16 secondary, the academy’s main destination story is about readiness for post-16 pathways rather than A-level outcomes on site. Formal evaluation highlights comprehensive careers guidance across the school, including post-16 fairs and work experience, so students are supported to make informed choices at the end of Year 11.

Enrichment is used to connect learning with future routes. The academy frames parts of its enrichment offer around sectors such as engineering, sport, forces and public services, hospitality, and medicine, and that can help students understand how GCSE choices and wider participation link to longer-term plans. The most helpful approach for families is to ask how the careers programme is scheduled by year group, and how employers, colleges, and training providers are brought into the school year.

Year 7 admission is through Norfolk County Council’s coordinated process. For September 2026 entry, Norfolk’s published timetable lists applications opening on 11 September 2025 and closing on 31 October 2025, with national offer day on 2 March 2026 and an appeals closing date of 27 March 2026.

The academy states an agreed admission number of 180 per year group for secondary admissions and publishes an admissions policy to set out how places are allocated when there are more applications than places. Norfolk’s Schoolfinder listing also records planned admission numbers and indicates that figures for future years can change through consultation, so families should ensure they are reading the correct policy for the year of entry.

Oversubscription criteria matter in practice. Norfolk’s published admissions information for the academy prioritises, among other groups, looked-after and previously looked-after children, children attending specified cluster feeder schools, siblings, and then proximity. The clearest next step is to review the current policy for the relevant year of entry and confirm how feeder-school priority and distance are applied. Families can also use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their likely distance position in context, while remembering that historic distances, where published, can shift year to year.

The February 2025 inspection report presents a generally positive picture on safety and wellbeing. Pupils report feeling safe and knowing who to go to, with counselling and a holiday helpline phone number referenced as part of mental health support. Ofsted confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Behaviour is described as having improved significantly since the previous inspection, with clear expectations and calm handling of poor choices through reflection. For families, this is often the most tangible change, because improved corridors, social time, and classroom conduct usually translate into better learning conditions and a less stressful day for students.

Norfolk’s Schoolfinder listing also references specific support approaches, including a qualified counsellor, an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA), and Lego or block therapy, which suggests a layered approach to pastoral support rather than a single intervention. Families considering the academy for a child with additional needs should ask how these supports are accessed, whether support is time-limited or ongoing, and how communication is managed between home, pastoral staff, and subject teachers.

The academy’s timetable builds enrichment into the end of the day. The academy day runs through to 3.00pm for Period 5, then continues to 4.00pm for the enrichment programme, with Year 11 having an additional Period 6 during that slot. This structure makes participation more achievable for students who rely on transport or have after-school responsibilities, because enrichment is planned rather than competing with it.

Current club information shows a mix of academic catch-up, subject extension, and interest-led activities. Examples include LEGO Club, Pokémon Club, a History Club that includes films and quizzes, a Chess and Games Club, and an F1 Club. Sports options listed include rugby, boys football, girls football, netball, and basketball, with use of a 3G pitch and sports hall facilities. For students who enjoy performing arts, both Drama Club and Dance Club appear in the clubs list, with a dedicated drama studio and dance studio also listed among hireable facilities, which aligns the co-curricular offer with specialist spaces on site.

The academy also runs Guilds as a structured enrichment activity delivered in four-week blocks twice yearly, positioned as a way for students to explore a topic or hobby that might not sit within standard curriculum time. This is a useful model for students who are still discovering what they enjoy, because it gives permission to try something for a defined period without having to commit for a full year.

The academy opens at 8.00am, with breakfast available daily. Students are expected to be on site by 8.20am, and the taught day begins with personalised learning at 8.30am. Break and lunch are built into the mid-morning and early afternoon, with the core day finishing at 3.00pm, then enrichment running to 4.00pm, with after-school activities and tutoring typically available until 3.45pm.

Transport planning matters in rural and coastal areas. The academy publishes bus services information as part of its key information, and families should check the current routes and timings alongside any planned enrichment participation, particularly if students will be staying beyond 3.00pm on some days.

• Consistency of classroom practice. The February 2025 inspection report points to variation in how well assessment and structured discussion are used in lessons. Families should ask how the academy is supporting staff to standardise these fundamentals, and how quickly improvements are expected to show in student work and outcomes.

• SEND precision. SEND systems have been improved, but staff adjustments are not always precisely matched to need. If your child requires consistent classroom adaptations, ask to see how plans translate into everyday teaching across subjects.

• Post-16 pathway planning. With provision ending at 16, the strength of careers guidance, college links, and transition support matters. Families should explore what support begins in Year 9 and how it intensifies through Key Stage 4.

• Admissions details may change year to year. The published admission number and criteria should be checked carefully for the specific year of entry, particularly where consultations are referenced in admissions information.

Flegg High Ormiston Academy presents as a secondary in active improvement mode, with a timetable and enrichment structure that gives students a predictable routine and a clear end-of-day purpose. External evaluation supports a picture of improved behaviour and generally positive personal development, while the central academic challenge is consistency in classroom practice and sharper precision for SEND adaptations. Best suited to families who want a local 11 to 16 option with improving culture, built-in enrichment, and structured pastoral support, and who are prepared to engage closely with the academy’s improvement priorities over the next phase.