Ormiston Maritime Academy Review 2026: A structured secondary with strong personal development strands

There is a clear “systems and support” feel to Ormiston Maritime Academy, the sort of school that puts routines, pastoral touchpoints and personal development structures at the centre of day-to-day life. The academy sits within Ormiston Academies Trust and has been part of the trust since August 2011, which gives it access to trust-wide governance, policies and school improvement capacity.

Leadership stability also matters here. Mrs Carrianne Robson has been principal since September 2019, and the academy’s public messaging places student safety and wellbeing prominently alongside academic expectations.

The latest full inspection outcome is Good (July 2022), with Good judgements in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

The academy’s tone is purposeful and structured, reinforced by the way the day is organised. Students start with year group line-ups and checks (uniform, equipment, planner), then move through a six-period model with tutor time built into the afternoon. Even the timetable communicates a “no ambiguity” approach, which tends to suit students who benefit from predictable routines and frequent adult check-ins.

Pastoral architecture is described in layered terms. The academy sets out a personal tutor system and year-group progress leadership, supported by a team of pastoral assistants. In practice, that is a meaningful distinction for families, because it suggests that the first response to attendance dips, friendship issues, low-level behaviour concerns, or motivation problems is not left to a single form tutor alone.

There is also a strong “personal development as curriculum” strand rather than an add-on. The academy publishes a personal development framework that links enrichment, leadership opportunities (for example, student council structures), and careers education into a coherent programme across Years 7 to 11.

Academic performance is mixed and, on the published headline indicators, the academy is in a rebuilding phase rather than a “high outcomes” school.

In the most recent published GCSE season (August 2024), Attainment 8 was 36.1 and Progress 8 was -0.76. English and mathematics outcomes show 42% achieving grade 4 or above in both subjects, and 29% achieving grade 5 or above in both. The EBacc average point score is listed as 3.12, with 28% entering the EBacc.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official data), the academy ranks 3,480th in England, and 7th in the Grimsby local area set. This places it below England average overall on the comparative outcomes view.

What that means for families is straightforward. If your child is already secure, self-motivated, and likely to perform strongly without intensive in-school catch-up, the academy’s offer needs to be weighed more on curriculum fit, pastoral stability and personal development opportunities. If your child needs significant acceleration in English and mathematics to reach standard benchmarks by the end of Year 11, you should look closely at how the academy delivers literacy and numeracy support in practice, and ask for concrete examples of intervention, timetable allocation, and progress tracking.

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages to view GCSE indicators side-by-side, then sanity-check the fit by looking at curriculum breadth and support structures, not just a single headline metric.

The published curriculum intent stresses breadth at Key Stage 3 and a deliberate decision not to narrow too early, with a stated focus on English and mathematics as enabling subjects.

The academy’s mission statement highlights literacy and oracy at Key Stage 3, and also references retrieval as a learning method. For families, this is a useful signal: it suggests classroom practice is likely to prioritise structured knowledge-building, deliberate recall, and explicit teaching of how to communicate ideas, not simply task completion.

Subject breadth is also visible in the published curriculum map and subject list, which includes both academic and applied options (for example, film studies, health and social care, engineering, and food and cookery alongside core subjects). That can be a strength for students who need a curriculum that connects learning to future pathways, especially when combined with coherent careers education.

With no sixth form, the “next step” question is mainly about post-16 pathways into further education, apprenticeships, or sixth forms elsewhere. The academy’s published approach foregrounds careers education and provider access, which indicates an intention to expose students to multiple post-16 routes rather than assuming a single academic track.

In practical terms, families should ask two very specific questions when evaluating Year 10 to Year 11 planning: how the academy supports subject choice into Key Stage 4, and how careers guidance is translated into concrete applications for colleges, training providers or apprenticeships. The academy states it has achieved the National Quality in Careers Standard, which can be a useful baseline, but parents will still want to see the calendar of encounters, employer engagement, and how individual guidance is delivered.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through the local authority. For 2026 entry (the 2026 to 2027 academic year), applications open on 01 September 2025 and the published closing deadline is 31 October 2025. Offers are made on the secondary national offer day, which for the 2026 cycle is 02 March 2026.

The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 160. Oversubscription is handled through the standard priority order: looked-after and previously looked-after children, siblings, catchment, children of staff, then proximity. If distance alone cannot split applicants, the policy describes a random allocation process with independent verification.

Demand indicators show the academy is oversubscribed in the latest available admissions dataset, with 297 applications for 152 offers. That equates to 1.95 applications per place, and first-preference demand is also higher than available offers.

Because “distance offered” data is not published in the available dataset for this profile, families considering an application should use the FindMySchool Map Search tool to model their likely proximity position and then verify the local authority’s measurement approach for the admissions round. The academy’s admissions policy specifies straight-line measurement from the academy main gate to the home address.

Pastoral provision is positioned as a core strength, with a personal tutor system plus year-group progress leadership and pastoral assistants. This matters most for students who need regular adult contact to stay on track, whether that is for organisation, attendance, peer issues or emotional regulation.

SEND support is described in practical terms, including an integrated services team and a specialist integrated support area, with particular emphasis on literacy and numeracy development, plus in-class support where needed. Two named SENCO leads are listed (Mrs Linda Winton and Mrs Kristy Allard), which suggests dedicated capacity rather than a single overstretched point of contact.

Safeguarding is explicitly discussed in the principal’s welcome message and is framed as effective. Families should still do the standard due diligence during visits, but it is a positive sign when safeguarding is treated as a headline priority rather than a compliance footnote.

The most distinctive enrichment strands are the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), both described as structured, ongoing programmes rather than occasional trips.

CCF

Students can join the CCF from Year 8, with activities including drill, first aid, fieldcraft and adventurous training, plus participation in community events such as remembrance parades. The implication is clear: this strand will appeal to students who respond well to a disciplined team environment and who gain confidence from progressive responsibility.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

From Year 9, students can take part in DofE at bronze and silver levels, supported by a weekly after-school club and expedition training modules. This is a strong option for students who need a motivating framework for volunteering, skills development and physical activity, especially if they benefit from clear milestones and external recognition.

Beyond those named programmes, the academy’s published enrichment framing is focused on cultural capital and widening access to experiences students may not otherwise encounter, including visits and external contributors. Families who value enrichment should ask for the current termly timetable and participation expectations, because the impact depends on how many students take part and how consistently activities run across the year.

The academy day begins at 8:25am with year group line-ups and runs through to tutor time ending at 3:00pm; Year 11 has an additional Period 6 until 3:30pm. Total weekly hours are listed as 32 hours and 55 minutes.

The website does not present a clear wraparound care model for lower years in the way many schools do, so families who need supervision beyond the published day should ask directly what is available, and whether any provision is year-group dependent.

For travel planning, ask about the typical drop-off and pick-up arrangements and whether there are managed walking routes or staggered releases for different year groups, as these operational details often shape the daily experience more than headline transport links.

• Outcomes trend and expectations. If your priority is a high-attaining academic environment, the most recent GCSE indicators show considerable work still to do, including a Progress 8 score of -0.76 and Attainment 8 of 36.1.

• Behaviour sanctions and exclusions. The July 2022 Ofsted report flagged that suspensions and permanent exclusions were too high, and noted that a small minority of pupils received repeated internal sanctions or suspensions. Families should ask how behaviour support is delivered now, and what early intervention looks like before sanctions escalate.

• Competition for places. The academy is oversubscribed in the latest available admissions data, so families should treat application strategy seriously and be clear about their realistic alternatives.

• SEND fit varies by need. The academy describes a substantial SEND support model, but families should probe how support works in mainstream lessons, what literacy and numeracy interventions look like, and how communication works with parents over time.

Ormiston Maritime Academy is best understood as a structured, community-facing secondary that puts routines, pastoral systems and personal development programmes at the heart of the offer, with CCF and DofE standing out as distinctive pathways. Academic outcomes are currently a limiting factor, so families should be realistic about the level of support their child will need to thrive by Year 11.

Who it suits: students who respond well to clear routines, benefit from layered pastoral oversight, and will engage with structured personal development opportunities, particularly those who gain confidence through CCF or DofE. For students whose primary need is consistently strong exam outcomes in a high-attaining cohort, it is sensible to compare alternatives carefully and ask detailed questions about intervention and progress tracking.