City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy

City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy is a large, inclusive secondary school within Ormiston Academies Trust that is performing well overall. Its leadership and governance are a strong standard, with stable, purposeful leaders who are focused on pupils and improvement, and safeguarding requirements are met. Pupils are happy, feel safe and belong to a caring community. Behaviour has improved significantly, bullying is rare, and pastoral care and wellbeing are particular strengths. The school has high expectations for all, including pupils with barriers to learning, and offers a broad personal development programme, enrichment, pupil leadership and a well-developed careers programme. The inclusive sixth form is popular and prepares students well for next steps. Most areas of provision, including achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, personal development and post-16 provision, are judged at the expected standard. Pupils generally achieve in line with national averages and are well prepared for education, employment or training. Disadvantaged pupils are prioritised, and recent outcomes show improvement, though the school recognises that this work is ongoing. There are still areas to improve. Teaching is not consistently strong across all lessons, with some missed opportunities to challenge pupils and deepen understanding. Support strategies for pupils with barriers to learning can be too general, so some pupils do not get precise help. Attendance has improved modestly but leaders need to ensure strategies lead to sustained improvements for identified pupils and groups. Sixth-form lessons occasionally lack depth.

Strengths

• Long-term, stable and purposeful leadership focused on pupils
• Strong governance and trust support with rigorous challenge
• High staff morale and well-considered professional development
• Calm, purposeful learning environment with significantly improved behaviour
• Inclusive culture with high expectations for all pupils
• Strong pastoral care and wellbeing support; pupils feel safe and supported
• Broad personal development, enrichment and pupil leadership opportunities
• Well-developed careers programme preparing pupils for next steps
• Inclusive and popular sixth form with effective academic and pastoral support
• Safeguarding standards met

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality is not consistently high, with some lessons missing challenge and deeper questioning
• Support strategies for pupils with barriers to learning are sometimes too general and lack precision
• Attendance strategies have not yet secured sustained improvements for all identified individuals and groups
• Some pupils do not consistently remember what they have learned over time
• Post-16 lessons occasionally miss opportunities to explore topics in greater depth

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 City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.6% 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, 3.7% of pupils at City of Norwich School, An 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 City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.8% 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, 15.6% of pupils at City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy received £7,620 and spent £7,562 for each of its 1,709 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,291,000 (£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 Norwich · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy is part of Ormiston Academies Trust, which runs 41 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy have?

City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy has 1,685 pupils on roll.

What age range does City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy cover?

City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.2, and 53% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy?

City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy is at Eaton Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 6PP.