Ormiston Bushfield Academy Review 2026: Strong personal development; broad extracurricular offer

A large, mixed secondary with sixth form, Ormiston Bushfield Academy sits in Orton, serving families across Peterborough and the surrounding area. It is part of Ormiston Academies Trust and operates at near full capacity (1,250 places listed; 1,230 pupils recorded on the most recent Ofsted listing). The day-to-day identity is shaped by three clear priorities, learning, character, and opportunity, with a very visible commitment to enrichment and careers guidance from Year 7 through Year 13.

The most recent external judgement is a helpful signpost for families who want a balanced picture rather than a single headline grade. In May 2025, Ofsted graded personal development as Outstanding, and graded quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and sixth form provision as Good.

For parents weighing local options, academic performance sits around the middle of England distributions on FindMySchool’s measures, while pastoral systems and wider experiences are positioned as major strengths. If you are shortlisting, it is a school to visit, because the fit question often turns on how a child responds to a large setting with high expectations and a structured approach to behaviour, attendance, and learning.

The scale matters. With capacity at 1,250 and an 11 to 19 intake, the experience is closer to a small community than a small school, with the benefits and trade-offs that brings. Social breadth is typically a positive for many students, especially those who value finding a niche through sport, performing arts, or a club timetable that runs across the week. The trade-off is that students who prefer a quieter setting may need time to settle, and families may want to ask how form time, heads of year, and pastoral teams keep relationships personal.

A second defining feature is the academy’s internal structure. Prospectus materials describe a four-house model, Challenger, Discovery, Enterprise, and Endeavour, used to create competition and belonging through events and participation. In practice, that tends to help a large school feel smaller. It also supports leadership development, because house activities naturally create roles for students who might not be drawn to formal school council routes.

The third point is the school’s emphasis on opportunity and character development. This shows up in the enrichment framing, careers provision, and the expectation that students take part in activity beyond lessons. This is not simply a list of clubs; it is presented as an organising principle. For families, the practical question is whether a child will engage with that expectation or treat it as background noise. The best outcomes here usually come when a student commits to one or two strands and sticks with them over time.

Academic performance is best understood through two lenses: broad attainment and progress measures, and how those compare across local options. The academy’s GCSE picture includes an Attainment 8 score of 48.9 and an EBacc average point score of 4.09. Its Progress 8 score is 0.31, which indicates progress above expectations from students’ starting points.

FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking places the academy 2,049th in England and 5th in Peterborough for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). That sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is consistent with a school that is doing many things securely, while continuing to push for sharper consistency.

Post-16 outcomes show a similar pattern. FindMySchool’s A-level ranking places the academy 1,234th in England and 8th in Peterborough for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). Grade distributions reported show 2.61% of entries at A*, 13.73% at A, and 37.25% at B, with 53.59% at A* to B overall.

Parents should read these figures alongside the school’s size and curriculum breadth. A wide course offer, especially at sixth form, can be a real strength for students who need a particular combination, but it can also make consistency across subjects harder to maintain. The most productive questions to ask on a visit are about subject-level support, intervention, and how the sixth form team helps students choose the right pathway, rather than simply the widest one.

Teaching is framed around a broad curriculum from Years 7 to 13, with a strong emphasis on subject expertise and structured learning. External review evidence points to teachers knowing their subjects well and lessons being delivered by skilled staff. Curriculum design is described as challenging, with deliberate attention to sequencing and opportunities to revisit prior learning, so that new content is accessible.

Reading is a notable priority. The school describes intervention for students who have fallen behind, and the most recent inspection record refers to newly introduced reading programmes intended to build confidence and fluency. For families, this matters because secondary reading gaps can quickly spill into every subject. A school that treats reading as a cross-curricular responsibility, rather than an English-only issue, is usually better placed to close gaps.

One useful nuance for parents is that the school’s improvement area is not framed as a fundamental weakness; it is about consistency in how quickly pupils move on once secure. That is a familiar challenge in large schools, where approaches vary by department and classroom. A prospective parent might reasonably ask how leaders check that high-attaining students are stretched, while students who need more practice still get it, without lessons slowing to the pace of the room.

Destinations information is unusually clear because the school publishes simple, visual summaries for recent cohorts. For Year 13 in 2024 to 2025, the school reports 69% of students progressing to university, with 20% moving to Russell Group universities. The same published summary shows 13% moving into employment, 10% taking a gap year, and 8% starting apprenticeships. The prior Year 13 cohort (2023 to 2024) is presented similarly: 70% to university, 12% to Russell Group, 13% to employment, 9% to apprenticeships, and 8% to a gap year.

Those figures help parents avoid a common misunderstanding. A strong destination story is not only about university entry; it is also about students choosing the right next step and securing it. The published split suggests the school treats apprenticeships and employment as mainstream pathways, not a fallback. That aligns with the wider careers emphasis described across Years 7 to 13.

Oxbridge outcomes are naturally a small-number story in a comprehensive sixth form. In the measurement period captured three students applied to Cambridge, one received an offer, and one accepted a place. The implication is that academically ambitious students are supported through highly competitive routes, but most students will be focused on a wider spread of university courses, apprenticeships, and employment pathways.

At Year 11, the school also publishes a post-16 breakdown. For 2023 to 2024, 44% progressed into the academy’s own sixth form, 35% went to college, 10% moved into other further education routes, 5% started apprenticeships, and 6% went into other destinations. For families with a child in Year 9 or Year 10, this is useful context: staying on is common, but not assumed, and a substantial proportion choose a college route instead.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Peterborough City Council, with the academy’s published admission number (PAN) set at 210 for Year 7. For September 2026 entry, the academy states a Year 6 application deadline of 31 October 2025, with offers released on 2 March 2026. Families should treat those as the key dates if Year 7 is the target.

Oversubscription criteria are worth reading carefully because they define how places are allocated when demand exceeds places. The academy indicates that its oversubscription criteria were updated to include students attending its named feeder school, Ormiston Meadows Academy. For some families, that is the pivotal detail. If a child is at that feeder school, the admissions priority position may be different than for families applying from elsewhere in the city.

Open evenings are described as taking place annually in the first term, with dates published each year. Rather than relying on last year’s calendar, it is best to check the academy’s current communications and book early if required. Parents comparing options can also use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check practical travel time and day-to-day logistics, because commute fatigue is a real driver of attendance issues in secondary years.

Sixth form entry has two routes. Internal students in Year 11 are entitled to continue into Year 12 provided they meet minimum entry criteria for their chosen courses. External applicants are considered if capacity allows, and the academy lists an external PAN of 20 for sixth form. The sixth form admissions policy for 2026 entry indicates an application window opening on 31 October 2025 and closing on 31 March 2026. In practice, competitive subjects may fill earlier, so it is sensible to engage well before the closing date and attend sixth form information events where possible.

Pastoral care is described as a strong feature, and the academy has a named internal provision that appears in both leadership responsibilities and inspection commentary: Atlantis House. The way this is explained in official materials suggests a structured approach for vulnerable students who need additional support to remain engaged with mainstream lessons, including opportunities to reset and reflect while keeping education on track. For many families, this is the kind of provision that makes a large school workable, because it adds flexibility without lowering expectations.

The broader wellbeing picture links back to the school’s personal development strength. There is evidence of extensive careers guidance and cultural experiences such as visits to museums, theatres, libraries, and galleries. These are not just enrichment extras; they also help students build the confidence and knowledge needed for interviews, applications, and a sense of belonging in wider settings beyond school.

Safeguarding is always a threshold issue for any parent. Safeguarding arrangements were judged effective in the May 2025 inspection, which provides reassurance that systems and checks are in place. Families with specific concerns, such as anxiety, attendance struggles, or SEND needs, should still ask direct questions about the early identification process and how support is reviewed over time.

Extracurricular life is unusually well mapped because the academy publishes a detailed weekly timetable for 2025 to 2026. This matters because many schools describe clubs in general terms; here, parents can see specific offers, days, and timing.

Performing arts has strong visibility. A Royal Shakespeare Company Club runs after school, focused on interpreting Shakespeare’s language and working towards performance opportunities with other local schools. Drama Club is also listed, and the school musical for the year is Shrek!, with both performance and technical team routes. For students who are not confident performers, the technical route can be the difference between watching from the side-lines and being fully involved.

STEM provision is also concrete. The timetable includes STEM: First Lego League for Years 7 to 9, and a Caterpillar Rocket Launcher Electronics Club (described as invitation-only). There is also a KS3 Science Club, plus post-16 science support sessions. The point for families is not that every child will join STEM clubs; it is that students who thrive on hands-on challenge have clear routes to extend beyond the classroom.

The enrichment offer also supports academic confidence. Maths sessions include a Sparx Club and targeted interventions for Years 10, 11, 12, and 13. Languages include a Year 7 Spelling Bee and a Year 9 Language Leaders programme, described as preparing students to plan and teach a French lesson to primary pupils. That is a strong example of learning becoming leadership, which often benefits students’ confidence and communication skills.

For students who prefer creative or practical activity, there are KS3 Art Club, GCSE Art Club, and a Sculpture Club linked to creating props for the school musical. Student Voice has a clear slot, signalling that participation in school improvement is treated as a real activity rather than an occasional meeting.

Trips and visits add a further layer. A major example is the planned Western Front visit running from Thursday 30 April 2026 to Saturday 2 May 2026, with an itinerary including Essex Farm Cemetery, Hill 60 and Caterpillar Crater, Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, the Passchendaele museum, Menin Gate and the Last Post ceremony, and Talbot House. These experiences tend to have an outsized impact on historical understanding, because they connect classroom learning to place, memory, and reflection.

The published school day runs from 8:40am to 3:10pm, totalling 32.5 hours per week. After-school clubs typically run into the 4:00pm to 5:15pm range depending on the activity, so families should plan transport accordingly.

As a large secondary on the Orton side of Peterborough, many students will travel by bus, cycle, or car drop-off. If you are planning a move or testing feasibility, FindMySchool’s Map Search is a sensible way to compare travel time at peak hours, because a manageable journey often correlates with better punctuality and lower stress.

Wraparound care is not typically a standard feature at secondary level, and the academy does not present a dedicated breakfast or after-school childcare offer in the same way a primary would. Families who need supervised provision outside standard hours should ask directly what is available for older students, and how the school handles early arrivals and late collections.

• A large setting needs a confident transition plan. The benefits of a big school include breadth and opportunity, but some children need extra scaffolding in Year 7. Ask about transition events, tutor systems, and how concerns are picked up early.

• Consistency across classrooms is the key improvement question. Official review evidence points to occasional missed opportunities for pupils to move on promptly when ready. For high-attaining students, this can affect stretch and pace, so it is worth asking how the school checks challenge across departments.

• Sixth form places for external applicants are limited. The school describes an external sixth form PAN of 20, so students applying from other schools should engage early and be realistic about course demand and entry requirements.

• Look closely at oversubscription criteria. The academy has updated its criteria to include pupils from Ormiston Meadows Academy as a feeder school. Families applying from outside that route should read the policy carefully and align expectations accordingly.

Ormiston Bushfield Academy offers a broad secondary and sixth form experience with a clear emphasis on personal development, enrichment, and structured support. Academic performance sits around the middle of England benchmarks on FindMySchool rankings, with above-expectation progress measures providing a positive signal. Best suited to students who will engage with a busy school life, take up opportunities beyond lessons, and benefit from a pastoral system that includes targeted internal support such as Atlantis House.