Wodensborough Ormiston Academy

Wodensborough Ormiston Academy is an inclusive and caring school where pupils feel safe and describe it as a family. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and judged the school to be meeting expected standards in attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision. Behaviour is strong, pupils are generally polite and respectful, leadership and governance are effective, staff are well supported, and support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils is generally strong. The sixth form is a particular strength: a personalised SEND-focused provision where students make progress and achieve well. The main concern is achievement. Pupils' key stage 4 examination outcomes remain below national averages and too many pupils do not achieve as well as they should, including disadvantaged pupils. Teaching is mostly effective but not consistently so: in some subjects staff do not check precisely whether pupils understand the most important knowledge, so gaps and misconceptions are not addressed. Foundational knowledge in writing and mathematics is less secure than reading, and attendance remains above national averages despite improving work. Context matters: the school is part of Ormiston Academies Trust and serves a highly deprived area with well-above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and with SEND. It includes a sixth form for students with SEND and a resourced provision for hearing impairment and autism. Leaders understand these challenges and are taking appropriate action; next steps focus on consistent checking of understanding and securing foundational writing and mathematics knowledge.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
• The school has a clear attendance strategy and works effectively with parents and carers to identify barriers.
• Pupils are generally polite, respectful and understand the school's rules and routines.
• Behaviour expectations are applied clearly and consistently, helping create a calm and orderly environment.
• Older students in the sixth form have particularly positive attitudes to learning and set a clear example.
• The curriculum is broad and appropriately sequenced, including academic and vocational qualifications in the sixth form.
• Teaching is mostly effective, with structured lessons and regular checks on curriculum quality.
• Reading is prioritised, and pupils who join without needed skills are identified swiftly.
• Pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils are generally supported well.
• Staff receive extensive and regular training, particularly to support pupils with SEND.
• The pupil premium funding is used effectively, with research-based strategies and improved progress from starting points.
• Leaders understand the school's context and take appropriate action, with robust challenge and support from governance.
• Staff wellbeing and professional development are prioritised, and staff are proud to work at the school.
• Personal development prepares pupils well for life outside school, including online safety, mental health and careers education.
• Pupils have a wide range of enrichment opportunities, including theatre visits, trips, charity work and leadership experiences.
• The sixth form is a unique, personalised provision that supports students with high and complex needs to progress and achieve well.
• Alternative provision placements support pupils' emotional wellbeing and help build confidence and resilience.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement needs attention because key stage 4 outcomes remain below the national average.
• Too many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve as well as they should.
• Teaching is not consistently effective across all subjects in checking pupils' understanding of important knowledge.
• In some subjects, gaps in learning and misconceptions are not addressed through adapted future learning.
• Foundational knowledge in writing and mathematics is not at the same high standard as reading.
• Attendance overall and persistent absence remain above national averages, although the school's work is beginning to show improvement.
• Sixth-form attendance remains variable because of medical or more complex needs.

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 Wodensborough Ormiston Academy attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.6% 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, 6.1% of pupils at Wodensborough Ormiston Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 Wodensborough Ormiston Academy had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.2% 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, 21.7% of pupils at Wodensborough Ormiston Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 8.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 29 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 Wodensborough Ormiston Academy received £9,662 and spent £9,968 for each of its 1,148 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £867,000 (£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 Wednesbury · Sandwell local authority: places and applications

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

• George Salter Academy West Bromwich
• Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy Oldbury
• Ormiston SWB Academy Bilston
• Ormiston Forge Academy Cradley Heath
• Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy Walsall
• Ormiston NEW Academy Wolverhampton
• Brownhills Ormiston Academy Walsall
• Ormiston Meridian Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Tenbury High Ormiston Academy Tenbury Wells

What is Wodensborough Ormiston Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wodensborough Ormiston Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Wodensborough Ormiston Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Wodensborough Ormiston Academy was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Wodensborough Ormiston Academy have?

Wodensborough Ormiston Academy has 1,119 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wodensborough Ormiston Academy cover?

Wodensborough Ormiston Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Wodensborough Ormiston Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.0, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Wodensborough Ormiston Academy?

Wodensborough Ormiston Academy is at Hydes Road, Wednesbury, West Midlands, WS10 0DR.