Ormiston Horizon Academy Review 2026: Community secondary in Tunstall with a clear values-led culture

A large, mixed 11 to 16 academy in Tunstall, Ormiston Horizon Academy is built around three stated values, respect, resilience and responsibility, and that language shows up repeatedly in how pupils describe daily life. The most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023 rated the academy Good in all areas, with calm routines, positive staff-pupil relationships, and a strong emphasis on personal development highlighted alongside the continuing challenge of improving outcomes.

The numbers underline the context: the academy has around 1,029 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,050, so it is close to full, and it is also oversubscribed at the main point of entry.

Leadership is stable. The principal is Mr A Fitzgibbon, and he has been recorded in governance declarations as principal since 25 February 2019, a useful anchor when judging the consistency of approach across the school.

This is a school that communicates expectations plainly. Pupils are expected to live the academy values, and the framing is practical rather than abstract, meaning classroom routines, behaviour norms, and how pupils speak to one another. External evaluation describes an inclusive environment where pupils feel able to speak openly about relationships with staff and feel recognised as individuals.

Behaviour is positioned as a prerequisite for learning rather than a separate “discipline” agenda. The school day is described as orderly, with lessons starting and finishing calmly, and pupils reporting that issues are dealt with quickly. Bullying is described as rare, with appropriate action when it occurs.

The pastoral narrative also includes a personal development strand that goes beyond assemblies. Pupils are involved in activities linked to citizenship and leadership, including representation on the local authority Youth Council, and older pupils acting as reading leaders for younger pupils in school and in a local primary school. This is a strong signal for families who want a community-facing culture rather than a purely exam-focused experience.

The internal structure aims to reinforce belonging. A relaunched house system (September 2023) organises weekly events and competitions across year groups, with house names linked to mythological figures: Vulcan, Tellus, Neptune, and Apollo. Rewards are tied to participation and contribution, not only winning, which tends to widen buy-in for pupils who are less sporty or less confident initially.

In the FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official data), Ormiston Horizon Academy is ranked 3,618th in England and 25th in Stoke-on-Trent. This places performance below England average overall, within the lower band nationally (bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure).

At GCSE level, the published indicators point to two key issues families should interpret carefully:

• Progress 8 is -1.12, indicating pupils, on average, make significantly less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally.

• Attainment 8 is 34.7, providing a broad snapshot across GCSE subjects.

Within the EBacc basket, the academy’s average point score is 2.91.

It is important to set these figures alongside the school’s stated improvement priorities. External evaluation indicates raised expectations around learning and behaviour, and an increasingly ambitious curriculum design, while also pointing to inconsistency in how well teachers check learning and address gaps, which can limit progress over time.

For parents comparing local options, the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool can be useful to view these measures side-by-side with other Stoke-on-Trent secondaries, particularly when Progress 8 is a deciding factor.

Curriculum intent is described as equivalent to the national curriculum, with a focus on building knowledge over time and increasing ambition in what pupils are expected to remember and apply. The school’s challenge, based on formal evaluation, is the consistency of enactment, particularly around questioning, depth of discussion, and checking that pupils have truly secured prior learning.

The strongest operational detail relates to inclusion and literacy.

SEND identification is described as quick and accurate, with additional classroom support and “student passports” used to help teachers adapt approaches to need. This tends to matter most for families whose children benefit from predictable adjustments, clear scaffolding, and adults who understand barriers to learning early.

Reading support is also structured. Pupils who need extra help are identified quickly, targeted support is put in place, and form groups read age-appropriate texts. A stated next step is to strengthen independent reading across school and home, which is a sensible direction when the goal is long-term improvement across subjects, not only English.

Where Students Go Next

As an 11 to 16 school, the main transition is post-16. The careers programme is described as detailed, with pupils making use of it, and there is a clear acknowledgement that students would welcome more information about the range of opportunities available when they leave.

In practical terms, families should expect the usual local routes, sixth forms, further education colleges, and apprenticeships. For students who may need structure and guidance at transition points, it is worth asking specifically how the school supports Year 11 applications, interviews, and enrolment, including what happens for students who are not immediately placed in their first-choice post-16 destination.

Ormiston Horizon Academy is oversubscribed for Year 7 entry in the most recent published figures here, with 350 applications for 203 offers, a ratio that suggests competition, but not the extreme levels seen in some highly selective or high-demand schools.

Applications are coordinated by the local authority route rather than direct admission by the academy for Year 7. For September 2026 entry (Year 7), the local authority timetable shows:

• Applications open from Monday 01 September 2025

• Closing date is Friday 31 October 2025

• Offers are made on Monday 02 March 2026 (National Offer Day falls on the next working day that year)

The academy also advertises personal tours by appointment, which can be useful for families wanting to understand behaviour expectations, pastoral routines, and SEND support in practice, not only in policy language.

If you are using distance as a planning variable, FindMySchool Map Search is the most reliable way to check your address against the school’s location; however, no “last distance offered” figure is available in the provided admissions data for this school, so proximity should be treated as a factor rather than a clear predictor.

Pastoral support is described as a meaningful strength. Staff support pupil wellbeing and mental health strongly, and pupils report confidence in reporting behaviour concerns, with swift follow-up.

The second explicit safeguarding point is straightforward: the report confirms safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Attendance is the main wellbeing-adjacent concern flagged. Absence is described as higher than it should be, with ongoing work with families and external agencies. For parents, this usually translates into two practical questions: how quickly the school responds to emerging non-attendance patterns, and what support is offered to pupils for whom anxiety or other barriers are driving absence.

The school positions extracurricular as an access point for confidence, friendships, and personal growth, including for pupils who do not identify with traditional team sports. Examples named include Homework Club, Dungeons and Dragons, Dance and Drama, Martial Arts, and a Forest Schools programme.

The current clubs timetable is not published on the clubs page at present, with a note that a new timetable is posted in September. That means parents should treat the listed examples as illustrative rather than a guaranteed weekly offer.

The house system provides another route into activity. Weekly events run during tutor time or after school, with sport and academic strands, and pupils can sign up termly. This structure often suits pupils who benefit from a prompt to get involved rather than being left to self-select into clubs.

Facilities support the broader programme. The site offers sports pitches including a full-size floodlit artificial pitch, alongside indoor provision such as a theatre and drama suites, and the school also references a drama studio and a fully equipped fitness suite.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The published school day runs 08:30 to 15:10 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 08:30 to 14:20 on Wednesday, totalling 32.5 hours per week.

Wraparound care is not described on the school day page, which is typical for many secondary schools. Families who need earlier drop-off or supervised after-school arrangements should check what is available in practice, particularly for Year 7.

• Outcomes need improvement. Progress 8 is -1.12 and the school sits in the lower band nationally on GCSE outcomes, which may not suit students who need rapid academic acceleration without additional support at home.

• Attendance is a stated priority. Higher-than-desired absence is flagged formally, and families should explore how attendance support operates day-to-day, especially for pupils vulnerable to disengagement.

• Clubs detail is seasonal. The clubs page states the new timetable is posted in September, so parents should verify the current offer when making decisions rather than relying on last year’s pattern.

• Oversubscription is real. With 350 applications for 203 offers in the latest published figures here, admission is competitive, and families should keep at least one realistic alternative in their application mix.

Ormiston Horizon Academy comes across as a values-led community school with orderly routines, positive staff relationships, and structured opportunities for leadership and personal development. The limiting factor is academic outcomes, particularly progress, which remain below England norms despite raised expectations and curriculum development. It suits families who value an inclusive culture and clear behaviour standards, and who are prepared to work in partnership with the school to support learning progress. Competition for places exists, but it is the academic trajectory, not entry alone, that should drive the decision.