Park Academy

Ormiston Park Academy is currently rated as requiring improvement, having previously held a good rating. The new leadership has introduced a positive culture and raised aspirations, but there are still significant challenges. While pupils are beginning to learn more effectively due to a revamped curriculum, their learning is inconsistent across subjects. Some pupils display disengagement due to past experiences, impacting attendance and participation. Support for students with special educational needs is notably strong, contributing positively to their development.

Strengths

• New leadership has instilled a sense of ambition for all pupils.
• Behaviour of pupils has improved, creating a mostly calm learning environment.
• Targeted staff development is enhancing teachers' understanding of subject knowledge.
• Specialized support for SEND pupils is well adapted to individual needs.
• Enrichment activities like kayaking help develop key skills in teamwork.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not yet consistently effective in achieving the school's ambitions.
• Curriculum plans do not always connect prior knowledge to new learning.
• Teachers lack sufficient training to deliver the curriculum as intended.
• The assessment strategy fails to effectively inform teachers on pupil retention of knowledge.
• Attendance remains an issue for some pupils.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Park Academy attended 89.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 4.9% of pupils at Park Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Park Academy had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.3% of pupils at Park Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 25 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Park Academy received £10,187 and spent £10,617 for each of its 669 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £505,000 (£755 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Community Schools Trust, income was £11,022 and spending £10,890 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in South Ockendon · Thurrock local authority: places and applications

Park Academy is part of Community Schools Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Cumberland Community School London
• Forest Gate Community School London
• Haggerston School London
• The Excelsior Academy London
• Waterside Academy London
• University Technical College Norfolk Norwich

What is Park Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Park Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Park Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Park Academy was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Park Academy have?

Park Academy has 594 pupils on roll.

What age range does Park Academy cover?

Park Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Park Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.6, and 26% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Park Academy?

Park Academy is at Belhus Park Lane, Aveley, South Ockendon, Essex, RM15 4RU.