Ormiston Bushfield Academy

Ormiston Bushfield Academy is a mixed 11–18 academy converter within Ormiston Academies Trust. This was its first section 5 inspection, and the school was found to be strong across its key judgements: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision are good, while personal development is outstanding. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and no overall effectiveness grade is given under the current inspection framework. The school provides an ambitious and inclusive curriculum, with subject-expert teachers, strong support for pupils with SEND, effective reading intervention and an exceptional wider personal development offer. Pupils behave well, pastoral care is highly effective, and the sixth form offers a broad, nurturing provision with strong progression including university and apprenticeship routes. Leaders, trust support and staff training are also notable strengths. The main area for improvement is that teaching does not consistently move pupils on when their knowledge is secure. As a result, some pupils experience missed opportunities to gain new knowledge and do not progress through the curriculum as well as they could. The school should use assessment more sharply to identify secure knowledge and provide appropriate next steps.

Strengths

• Exceptional range of opportunities that support pupils’ ambitions and future success
• Ambitious, diverse and rich curriculum designed to deepen knowledge and skills
• Skilled, subject-expert teachers who help pupils reflect on and remember prior learning
• Highly inclusive provision with high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Swift identification and effective support for pupils who struggle to access the curriculum
• Strong reading development with early intervention and newly introduced programmes
• Outstanding personal development, including character education, diversity and cultural appreciation
• Comprehensive careers guidance from Years 7 to 13
• Positive pupil behaviour, trusting relationships and effective pastoral support
• Vibrant sixth form with a wide range of courses and strong progression to universities and apprenticeships
• Steadfast leadership, effective trust support and valuable staff training and well-being support
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching does not consistently move pupils on when their knowledge is secure, limiting progress through the curriculum 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 Ormiston Bushfield Academy attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.9% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Ormiston Bushfield Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Ormiston Bushfield Academy had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.4% 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, 14.2% of pupils at Ormiston Bushfield Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 Ormiston Bushfield Academy received £8,277 and spent £7,970 for each of its 1,232 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £931,000 (£755 per pupil).

Across all 40 schools of Ormiston Academies Trust, income was £8,888 and spending £8,698 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 Peterborough · Peterborough local authority: places and applications

Ormiston Bushfield Academy is part of Ormiston Academies Trust, which runs 41 schools. The nearest others:

• Ormiston Meadows Academy Peterborough
• Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy Ilkeston
• Ormiston Sudbury Academy Sudbury
• Ormiston Victory Academy Norwich
• City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy Norwich
• Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy Ipswich
• Ormiston Endeavour Academy Ipswich
• Brownhills Ormiston Academy Walsall
• Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy Walsall
• Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy Ipswich

What is Ormiston Bushfield Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ormiston Bushfield Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Ormiston Bushfield Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ormiston Bushfield Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Ormiston Bushfield Academy have?

Ormiston Bushfield Academy has 1,212 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ormiston Bushfield Academy cover?

Ormiston Bushfield Academy for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Ormiston Bushfield Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.8, and 51% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ormiston Bushfield Academy?

Ormiston Bushfield Academy is at ORTONGATE, ORTON, PETERBOROUGH, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, PE2 5RQ.