Ormiston Meridian Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, staff and pupils have worked together with determination and enthusiasm to continually raise standards. Staff are ambitious for pupils.

They want them to achieve academically and blossom as young adults. They expect pupils to work hard, behave well and value others. Pupils know that staff want the best for them, and rise to meet these demands.

Pupils are strong advocates for their school. They are proud of their achievements and the way they actively contribute to school life. They willingly take on extra responsibility, for instance as student leaders.

They do this diligently and conscientiously. Staff listen to and value pupils' views and opinions....

Pupils' behaviour makes a positive contribution to their learning.

Classrooms are places where pupils get on with their work. Leaders have high expectations, and continually strive to improve pupils' behaviour. Teachers act promptly to stop pupils' misbehaviour disrupting the learning of others.

Staff work alongside pupils to help them improve their behaviour while making sure that they do not fall behind.

Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school. Pupils know that staff do not tolerate bullying and that they will act quickly when it does happen.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The principal, supported by senior leaders and the trust, is unrelenting in her drive to improve the school. She leads with integrity and compassion. Staff share a common vision for the school and its pupils.

They are prepared to go the extra mile and embrace new ideas. This collective effort ensures that staff and pupils do not rest on their laurels.

The curriculum meets the needs of all pupils.

It supports pupils' academic achievement and wider personal development. There is an emphasis on readying pupils for life beyond the school gates. At key stage 4, pupils study an appropriate blend of academic and vocational qualifications.

However, the number of pupils who study the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) has fallen. This is because not enough pupils learn a modern foreign language. Leaders have reacted well to bolster this aspect of the curriculum.

Teachers are well supported by the curriculum plans in each subject. The plans identify what pupils 'must know' and what it would be 'good to know' in detail. The elements are fused together in a logical and sensible way so that teachers know what to teach and when to teach it.

Teachers share and discuss resources that help bring learning to life. Consequently, pupils learn well, and progressively build their knowledge and understanding.

In lessons, teachers constantly check that pupils remember what they have learned before.

All pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported well. Pupils told inspectors that when teachers spot a gap in their learning, they change their plans to address this. As a result, pupils build new learning on secure foundations.

Leaders have introduced many strategies to help develop consistency in curriculum planning and delivery. Leaders are now reviewing how well these strategies are helping pupils to learn. However, this is at an early stage, as many approaches have only recently been established.

Consequently, leaders cannot currently identify and promote the aspects that are making the biggest difference to how and what pupils learn.

Pupils who need help with their phonics knowledge are supported by trained staff. Pupils regularly read out loud in lessons.

Teachers take time to introduce technical terms and vocabulary in a deliberate way. This helps build pupils' understanding. Yet many pupils do not read for pleasure.

This means that they miss the enjoyment and insight that reading provides.

The school's personal development programme is stimulating and memorable. Pupils learn about the lives of others and are taught to challenge prejudice.

They value diversity and champion equality. This contributes to a culture firmly founded on mutual respect. Pupils profit from a careers programme that broadens their horizons and encourages them to aim high.

Consequently, they are well equipped to make good choices.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are alert to signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm.

They are well trained and know the importance of reporting a concern, no matter how trivial it may seem. Leaders act promptly, meticulously following up reports to ensure that pupils receive the right help and support.

Leaders have prioritised pupils' mental health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They have also ensured that pupils know what harmful sexual behaviour is, and how to report it. Pupils trust that staff will listen to them and act in their best interests should they raise a concern.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Not enough pupils have opted to learn a modern foreign language at key stage 4.

This means that the proportion of pupils studying the EBacc is too low. Leaders should ensure that they enact their plans fully so that a greater proportion of pupils complete the EBacc and it is at the heart of the school's curriculum. ? Too few pupils read for pleasure.

As a result, they miss out on the wonder of a well-told story and the different social, cultural and historical perspectives that reading provides. Leaders should make sure that pupils are enthusiastic and habitual readers who read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books, articles and texts across styles and genres. ? To improve pupils' learning, leaders have introduced a plethora of strategies and approaches.

Staff have embraced these. However, leaders do not yet know which of these make the biggest difference to pupils' learning. Leaders should ensure that they fully evaluate their strategies so that they can concentrate on the aspects that make the biggest difference.

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