The Ongar Academy Review 2026: A small-town secondary with clear values and a strong focus on behaviour

At GCSE level, the current picture is mixed. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 38.9, and the Progress 8 score is -0.57, indicating that, on average, students made less progress than peers with similar starting points across England. Performance is not just about raw grades, it also reflects curriculum stability, staffing continuity, and how well assessment and intervention systems are operating.

In the FindMySchool ranking for GCSE outcomes, the school is ranked 3,297th in England and 1st locally in Ongar. This places outcomes below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure. (FindMySchool ranking based on official data.)

The EBacc indicators in the available results data are low. The school’s average EBacc APS is 3.32, and 3.6% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure. For families with a strong preference for an EBacc heavy pathway, it is sensible to ask specifically how the school is structuring languages and humanities uptake, and how that links to Key Stage 4 options.

A note for parents using results to shortlist: it is worth comparing local alternatives side by side, because small cohorts can shift the headline figures from year to year. The FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool are useful for checking how this profile sits against nearby Essex schools on the same measures.

Curriculum design appears to be a current strength, with clear sequencing and attention to identifying gaps. The most recent inspection report describes a well thought out curriculum and effective classroom questioning, with pupils receiving clear feedback and using it to improve their work.

At Key Stage 4, the published subject offer for September 2025 includes English language and literature, mathematics, combined science, French and German, history and geography, computer science, separate sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), and a range of creative and applied courses such as art, drama, design and technology construction, music, business studies, media studies, GCSE PE and BTEC PE, and food technology. The breadth here is practical: it provides both academic and more applied routes without forcing every student into the same pattern.

Reading is explicitly promoted through routine, including a structured expectation for pupils to read regularly. The inspection evidence also flags a specific implementation gap, checks on weaker readers were delayed due to staffing changes, which slowed catch up for a small group of pupils who struggle most.

For many families, “next steps” means more than Year 11 results, it means whether students leave with realistic options and guidance that fits local transport and local labour market constraints. For the 2023 to 2024 leaver cohort (33 young people), 39% progressed to university, 15% started apprenticeships, and 30% entered employment. This mix suggests that the school’s outcomes are not dominated by a single route, and that apprenticeships and employment are material pathways for a significant minority.

Careers education is clearly a priority area to watch. The most recent inspection narrative indicates that careers education, information, advice and guidance was still developing at that point, with too few high quality employer encounters, limited work experience opportunities, and not enough information about higher education routes.

The school’s careers information references the use of Unifrog style tools, which can be helpful for structuring choices at 14, 16, and 18, particularly when families want a clearer view of technical and vocational options alongside academic ones.

Post 16 provision needs an explicit clarity check. Government records list the age range as 11 to 18, but the most recent Ofsted inspection report also states that sixth form provision was offered until July 2023. If post 16 study on site matters to your family, treat this as a key question for admissions conversations, alongside what routes are most common for Year 11 leavers locally.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Essex County Council, rather than direct application to the school. For September 2026 entry, Essex applications opened on 12 September 2025 and closed on 31 October 2025, with National Offer Day information issued on 2 March 2026 for online applicants.

The school publishes oversubscription criteria for September 2026 that are worth understanding because they shape the practical odds. After children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority includes siblings (with Year 11 leavers excluded from the sibling definition timing), children of certain trust employees, and then a substantial feeder primary element, up to 75 places allocated to pupils from Ongar Primary School, Chipping Ongar Primary School, and High Ongar Primary School. Remaining places are offered to other applicants, with straight line distance used when oversubscribed within a criterion.

For families outside those feeder primaries, this structure can feel like two admissions routes operating at once, a local pipeline, then a wider distance based competition. If your child is at one of the named feeder schools, it is still not a guarantee, but it is a meaningful priority category to understand early.

Open events are published on the school’s admissions pages and, for the 2025 cycle, included an open evening in late September, with tours running into early October. Even when dates change annually, that timing is common for Essex secondaries, and it is sensible to plan visits in September or early October and then confirm the current schedule on the school calendar.

Pastoral organisation is presented as values led, with an explicit emphasis on praise and rewards alongside clear sanctions, and a consistent code of conduct. This matters most for families whose child needs predictable routines and firm boundaries, or who are wary of schools where behaviour management is inconsistent between teachers.

The inspection narrative supports a picture of students becoming more positive following a disruptive phase, with clearer expectations and improved relationships. There is also a notable emphasis on individual support for pupils who need it, and strong staff pupil relationships that help students build confidence and return attention to learning.

Safeguarding is a non negotiable baseline for any school decision. The most recent inspection confirmed safeguarding arrangements as effective.

Extracurricular offer is one of the ways smaller secondaries can punch above their weight, because it helps students belong across year groups rather than feeling confined to a single tutor group identity.

The most concrete published examples include The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which is positioned as a structured route to building skills, volunteering, and expedition experience, plus clubs such as drama and art and a range of sports clubs. The inspection narrative also notes planned educational visits, including trips to a local castle and a zoo, which is a practical marker of enrichment beyond routine lessons.

House competition provides another channel for participation. The refreshed four house model, KITE, OSPREY, FALCON, and RAVEN, is designed to pull together students across Years 7 to 11 and create a shared rhythm of points and inter house competitions. If your child thrives on low stakes competition and recognition, that can be a meaningful motivator, particularly in Years 7 and 8 when secondary transition is still settling.

Student leadership is also described as a key strand in the inspection narrative, with pupils elected by peers. In a smaller secondary, visible leadership roles can be more accessible, which can suit students who grow through responsibility rather than through academic competition alone.

The published student day runs from 8.45am to 3.00pm.

Attendance systems include an expectation that parents report absence before 8.40am, and the school uses parent communication tools to manage routine information flow.

Term dates are published for both 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027, which is useful for families coordinating childcare, work leave, and transport commitments.

• GCSE performance and progress. The Progress 8 score of -0.57 indicates below average progress across England for students with similar starting points. Families may want to ask what has changed since the most recent staffing and leadership reshuffle, and what intervention looks like for core subjects.

• Careers and work experience are a development area. The most recent inspection evidence highlights that employer encounters, work experience, and higher education information were not yet consistently strong. If your child is motivated by real world application, ask how work experience is scheduled and how employer engagement is being built.

• Post 16 route clarity. Official records list an 11 to 18 age range, but the most recent Ofsted report states sixth form provision was offered until July 2023. Families should confirm the current post 16 offer, and typical destinations after Year 11.

• Admissions structure advantages certain feeder primaries. Up to 75 Year 7 places are prioritised for pupils from three named local primary schools, before other applicants are considered, with distance used where oversubscribed. If you are outside those schools, it is wise to check how this affects your realistic chances and consider alternatives early.

The Ongar Academy is a values driven local secondary with clear behaviour expectations, a strong emphasis on belonging through houses and leadership, and a published Key Stage 4 curriculum that offers both academic and applied routes. The most recent inspection picture is of a school stabilising after disruption, with improved culture and effective safeguarding, but with careers education and support for weaker readers called out as areas to tighten.

Who it suits: families wanting a smaller community based secondary in Ongar, especially where consistent behaviour routines and accessible leadership opportunities matter. The key decision point is fit with the current academic trajectory and, for some families, the clarity of post 16 options.