Brownhills Ormiston Academy Review 2026: A community secondary with a strong performing arts thread and a renewed push on curriculum ambition

Brownhills Ormiston Academy is a mixed 11 to 16 secondary in Brownhills, Walsall, part of Ormiston Academies Trust. It is a sizeable setting, with capacity for 955 pupils, and a school roll in the mid 700s in the most recently published official profile.

Leadership has recently transitioned. The current headteacher, Mr Ross Doodson, took up the principalship in September 2025, after many years at the school in senior roles, including in music and performing arts. For families, the practical significance is straightforward: the direction of travel is one of consolidation with a visible emphasis on higher expectations, curriculum refinement, and a stronger personal development offer.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Costs to plan for are the usual secondary-school items, uniform, transport, trips, and optional enrichment. Some support for access and participation is referenced in school documentation (for example, uniform support and help with transport in specific circumstances), which is most relevant for families budgeting for the “extras” around core provision.

The academy’s public messaging is clear about standards and routines. The school day structure is tightly defined, with a short breakfast window followed by registration, five taught lessons, and a timetabled lunch period that also includes enrichment opportunities. This predictability matters for pupils who benefit from clarity, and for parents who want a consistent rhythm to the week.

Behaviour expectations are framed as explicit and consistently reinforced. In the most recent official inspection narrative, pupils described a calm and orderly atmosphere, alongside clear expectations for behaviour, and a sense that concerns can be raised with adults and dealt with. Those are meaningful indicators for families prioritising day-to-day safety, consistency, and a school culture where pupils feel listened to.

The academy is also unusually overt about performing arts as a cultural strand, not simply an add-on. School materials reference multiple choir and band pathways, age-banded ensembles, and structured rehearsals for productions. For pupils who gain confidence through music, performance, and being part of a group working towards events, this can be a strong “belonging” mechanism in a mainstream secondary setting.

This review uses the FindMySchool ranking and performance dataset for results and comparative metrics.

At GCSE level, Brownhills Ormiston Academy is ranked 3,542nd in England and 17th in Walsall for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places the school below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of ranked secondaries in England.

The headline attainment indicators available point to a challenging attainment and progress picture. The academy’s Attainment 8 score is 36.3, with an EBacc average point score of 2.94. Progress 8 is -0.46, which indicates pupils, on average, make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally.

For parents, the key implication is that outcomes are unlikely to be uniformly strong across subjects and cohorts. Families with an academically high-attaining child may want to probe stretch and challenge, while families whose child needs structure, literacy support, or SEND adaptations should focus on what is in place day-to-day to remove barriers to learning.

Curriculum documentation emphasises sequencing and clarity about what is taught, and when. Subject materials are published across the curriculum, which is helpful for families who want to understand what pupils will study, particularly around the Key Stage 4 options process.

The most recent inspection evidence points to improvement work that is visible but not yet consistently embedded. The school has reviewed its curriculum to raise ambition, and leaders have been trained to strengthen curriculum leadership. Where teaching checks understanding and tasks build well on prior learning, pupils do make better progress; where that is inconsistent, gaps and misconceptions persist. This is an important “how learning works here” detail for parents: the best experience will be where routines for checking understanding and adapting tasks are reliable across classes.

Literacy is a specific development area. The school has put in place a structured approach to identifying and supporting weaker reading, with early indications of impact, but with acknowledgement that further work is required to ensure literacy enables access to the curriculum across subjects. For pupils entering Year 7 with reading below age-related expectations, parents should ask about screening, intervention timetables, and how subject teachers reinforce reading and vocabulary in everyday lessons.

SEND support is described as accurately identifying needs, but with inconsistency in how effectively teachers adapt learning using the information available. That has direct implications: pupils with SEND can experience greater difficulty accessing tasks if classroom adaptations are not consistently applied. For families, the practical question is not only what support exists on paper, but how teachers are coached and held to account for everyday adjustments.

Brownhills Ormiston Academy is an 11 to 16 school, so the “next step” is post-16 education elsewhere, typically sixth forms and further education providers, alongside apprenticeships and employment routes.

The most recent inspection narrative notes a deliberate careers and next-steps focus, including work with external providers to prepare pupils for a full range of destinations, from local sixth forms to apprenticeships and employment. Pupils reported that they receive guidance about routes available after Year 11. For parents, this matters because strong post-16 guidance can mitigate weaker headline outcomes by helping pupils choose pathways that match their strengths and interests, rather than defaulting into poor-fit options.

If you are comparing schools for “routes after 16”, ask specifically about: how employer encounters are structured, how pupils access technical education information under provider access requirements, and how the school supports applications for competitive post-16 courses.

Year 7 entry is through Walsall Council’s coordinated admissions process. For September 2026 entry, the national closing date for on-time applications was 31 October 2025 (10pm), with offers issued on 2 March 2026. Late applications remain possible, but they carry a higher risk of missing preferred schools.

Demand indicators in the most recent admissions dataset show the school as oversubscribed. There were 369 applications for 143 offers, which equates to around 2.58 applications per place. The implication is that, even without selection, competition for places can be material, so families should treat “nearby” as helpful but not definitive.

Open events are promoted as “open mornings” with tours starting at 9:15am, and the listed dates fall in late September and early October. Because open event pages can roll forward each year, treat this as a typical seasonal window and confirm the exact year and booking process directly with the school.

If you are shortlisting several options, it is worth using FindMySchool’s Map Search to sense-check travel time and practical distance, then using the Local Hub comparison tools to view results context side-by-side.

Pastoral confidence often comes down to whether pupils feel there is a trusted adult to go to, and whether routines create predictability. The most recent official inspection account supports that pupils know they can raise concerns with adults and that issues are addressed, and it describes a calm, orderly environment supported by clear behaviour expectations.

Attendance is a stated challenge, with improvement work in place and signs of impact, but with a clear message that absence remains too high for too many pupils, especially those who are more vulnerable. Parents should interpret this as a school-wide priority area. If your child has struggled with attendance previously, it is worth asking about daily tracking, early contact, and the specific support offered to remove barriers, including how the school works with external agencies when needed.

One further reassurance point is safeguarding. The most recent Ofsted inspection reported that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The school’s enrichment offer is designed to rotate, with an enrichment calendar that changes regularly. The intent is to provide opportunities across interests, not only sport but also arts, culture, and wider experiences, including trips and visits.

Performing arts is the most clearly evidenced pillar. Named opportunities include Voices Of The Future (a choir pathway), the Brownhills Youth Choir, and the Brownhills Band, with rehearsals structured at different times for different age groups. The school also publishes materials relating to auditions and ensembles for the following academic year, which signals that participation is organised rather than ad hoc. For pupils, the implication is a clearer route from “I like singing” to “I am part of a rehearsing group with performances ahead”, which is often where confidence and attendance improve.

Trips and cultural experiences also feature in official accounts. Pupils referenced trips abroad and theatre trips, and a broad set of clubs. For families, the sensible question is accessibility: what is subsidised, what is optional, and how the school ensures that cost does not exclude pupils from high-value experiences.

The published timetable indicates a teaching day built around five lessons, with a short breakfast window and a 3:10pm finish for the taught day, followed by enrichment for those staying on.

Transport is pragmatic. School materials reference local bus services stopping on the A5 near Deakin Avenue, and also note a subsidised coach service that, at the time of publication, was expected to run until the end of July 2026. Families relying on coach transport should confirm current arrangements and pricing, particularly for September 2026 onwards.

There is no sixth form on site, so post-16 travel planning will be part of Year 11 decision-making.

• Outcomes trend and progress. The available GCSE indicators show a Progress 8 score of -0.46, suggesting pupils make less progress than peers with similar starting points. This makes it especially important to understand how consistently teaching checks understanding and closes gaps.

• Attendance remains a live issue. Official evaluation highlights attendance as too low for too long, with improvement activity underway but further work needed. If attendance has been difficult previously, ask what the first six weeks of support looks like.

• SEND adaptations need probing. Needs may be identified accurately, but classroom adaptation has been inconsistent in the most recently published evidence. Families should ask how information is translated into practical strategies in lessons.

• A school in transition. Leadership changed in September 2025. That can bring momentum, but it also means policies, expectations, and consistency may still be bedding in across departments.

Brownhills Ormiston Academy is a large local secondary that combines clear routines and behaviour expectations with an unusually explicit performing arts and choir culture, alongside a stated drive to raise curriculum ambition. The key question for most families is consistency, across teaching, SEND adaptations, and attendance improvement, rather than whether good practice exists in pockets.

Who it suits: families seeking a community 11 to 16 school with structured days, clear expectations, and a strong music and performing arts thread, especially where a pupil may benefit from belonging through ensembles and enrichment. Families for whom academic outcomes are the overriding driver should compare alternatives carefully and ask detailed questions about how improvements are translating into classroom practice.