Cliff Park Ormiston Academy

Cliff Park Ormiston Academy has improved markedly after a significant period of turbulence and is now judged good across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The school is part of Ormiston Academy Trust and has stabilised under current leadership, with extensive curriculum revisions and a consistent lesson structure having a notable impact on learning and behaviour. Pupils behave well, enjoy school, and benefit from a carefully planned personal development programme and comprehensive careers advice. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced, with local maritime industry links helping pupils see relevance to future careers. Reading is prioritised, pupils at earlier stages of reading receive appropriate support, and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is carefully considered. Attendance has improved significantly, although some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, remain persistently absent. In some subjects, teachers do not address pupils' misconceptions quickly enough, which limits how well some pupils remember important content. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, staff are positive about leadership and workload management, and the trust provides strong support and challenge. However, some families feel the school does not communicate well with them, meaning they do not yet see the range of experiences the school now offers. The report notes that previous results reflect the earlier instability and do not represent the quality of learning now in evidence.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school and show respect to peers and adults.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and are positive about the changes made.
• The school has stabilised after turbulence and improved markedly, including extensive curriculum revisions.
• The ambitious curriculum is carefully ordered and includes local maritime industry links.
• Reading is prioritised, with regular testing and appropriate support for pupils at earlier stages of reading.
• The revised lesson structure has had a notable impact on pupils' learning and behaviour.
• Support for pupils with SEND is carefully considered and individual needs are well supported.
• The personal development programme is meticulously planned and includes a comprehensive careers programme.
• Attendance has improved significantly through close work with families.
• Staff are positive about leadership, workload management and well-being support.
• The trust provides strong support and challenge to drive improvements.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not address pupils' misconceptions rapidly enough, making it difficult for pupils to remember important content.
• Persistent absence remains high for some disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND.
• Some parents do not feel the school communicates with them effectively.

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 Cliff Park Ormiston Academy attended 88.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 33.6% 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, 8.7% of pupils at Cliff Park Ormiston Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Cliff Park Ormiston Academy had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.7% 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, 23.5% of pupils at Cliff Park Ormiston Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% 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 Cliff Park Ormiston Academy received £8,623 and spent £8,434 for each of its 808 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £610,000 (£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 Great Yarmouth · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

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

• Ormiston Cliff Park Primary Academy Great Yarmouth
• Ormiston Venture Academy Gorleston
• Ormiston Herman Academy Great Yarmouth
• Edward Worlledge Ormiston Academy Great Yarmouth
• Ormiston Denes Academy Lowestoft
• Flegg High Ormiston Academy Great Yarmouth
• Broadland High Ormiston Academy Norwich
• City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy Norwich
• Ormiston Victory Academy Norwich
• Ormiston Endeavour Academy Ipswich

What is Cliff Park Ormiston Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cliff Park Ormiston Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Cliff Park Ormiston Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Cliff Park Ormiston Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Cliff Park Ormiston Academy have?

Cliff Park Ormiston Academy has 812 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cliff Park Ormiston Academy cover?

Cliff Park Ormiston Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Cliff Park Ormiston Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.8, and 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Cliff Park Ormiston Academy?

Cliff Park Ormiston Academy is at Kennedy Avenue, Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 6TA.