Ormiston Maritime Academy

Ormiston Maritime Academy is judged to require special measures. Inspectors found that the school is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education, and that leaders, trustees and governors have not demonstrated the capacity to secure the necessary improvement quickly enough. Achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance all require urgent improvement. Pupils' attainment is significantly below national averages across published measures and declined further in 2025, while attendance and persistent absence are well below national averages. Many pupils have gaps in basic knowledge, and systems for catching up missed learning are not effective. The school has some notable strengths. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils are safe and generally have positive relationships with staff. Leaders have developed a coherent personal, social and health education programme, a well-mapped careers programme, effective pastoral support including a full-time counsellor, and a wide range of enrichment opportunities. Most staff feel supported in their workload and wellbeing, and recent changes to behaviour systems have begun to show very early signs of positive impact, including fewer suspensions. However, significant concerns remain. Too many pupils do not achieve well or are well prepared for the next stage, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are particularly poorly served. Bullying and discriminatory language occur too often, and some pupils lack confidence in reporting concerns. The curriculum is not taught consistently well, teachers do not routinely check understanding or address misconceptions, and provision for SEND and disadvantaged pupils is not accurately identified or effectively supported. The school is part of Ormiston Academy Trust and is consulting on moving to Delta Academies Trust; an interim principal took up post at Easter 2026. The school serves a disadvantaged area with well-above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils feel safe.
• A coherent personal, social and health education programme covers relationships, health and online safety.
• The careers programme is well mapped and includes employer engagement and university, college and training opportunities.
• Pastoral support is strong, with relevant staff training and a full-time counsellor.
• A wide range of enrichment activities and clubs is available and many pupils take them up.
• Most staff feel supported in their workload and wellbeing.
• Recent behaviour changes have begun to show early signs of positive impact, including reduced suspensions.
• Alternative provision generally supports the small number of pupils who attend it to be successful.
• Leaders work collaboratively with the virtual school to meet the needs of looked-after children.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' attainment is significantly below national averages across all published measures and declined further in 2025.
• Too many pupils have gaps in basic knowledge that leaders do not identify or address quickly enough.
• Attendance and persistent absence are significantly worse than national averages, especially for older pupils, disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• There is no effective system to help pupils catch up with missed learning after absence.
• The new behaviour policy is not implemented consistently, and low-level disruption still disrupts learning.
• Bullying and derogatory language occur frequently, and some pupils are reluctant to report concerns.
• Teachers do not routinely check pupils' understanding or address misconceptions before moving on.
• Pupils with SEND do not receive a high-quality education, and pupil passports are not closely aligned with their needs.
• Leaders do not identify and assess pupils' needs accurately, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• The strategy for spending additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is ineffective and not closely monitored.
• Leaders and those responsible for governance have not acted swiftly or effectively enough to address declining standards.
• Trustees and governors have not provided sufficiently robust challenge and support or met their statutory duty on disadvantaged funding.
• Many pupils' knowledge of fundamental British values, protected characteristics and diversity is limited or superficial.
• Too many pupils are not well prepared to progress to the next stage of education, employment or training.

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 Maritime Academy attended 85.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 42.7% 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, 21.1% of pupils at Ormiston Maritime Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 13 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 Maritime Academy had 14.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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, 22.3% of pupils at Ormiston Maritime Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 9.5% 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 Maritime Academy received £9,128 and spent £8,787 for each of its 814 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £615,000 (£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 Grimsby · North East Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

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

• Ormiston South Parade Academy Grimsby
• Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy Ilkeston
• Ormiston Meadows Academy Peterborough
• Ormiston Bushfield Academy Peterborough
• Ormiston Victory Academy Norwich
• Broadland High Ormiston Academy Norwich
• City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy Norwich
• Packmoor Ormiston Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Ormiston Meridian Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Flegg High Ormiston Academy Great Yarmouth

What is Ormiston Maritime Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ormiston Maritime Academy is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Ormiston Maritime Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ormiston Maritime Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Ormiston Maritime Academy have?

Ormiston Maritime Academy has 786 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ormiston Maritime Academy cover?

Ormiston Maritime Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Ormiston Maritime Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 30.9, and 17% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ormiston Maritime Academy?

Ormiston Maritime Academy is at Westward Ho, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, DN34 5AH.