Sandymoor Ormiston Academy

Sandymoor Ormiston Academy is demonstrating good overall effectiveness in delivering education since its establishment in 2020. The school sets high aspirations for its pupils, promoting a positive learning environment where most students achieve well and engage with their studies positively. With strong support from Ormiston Academies Trust, the school has successfully developed its academic offerings and has seen a broadening of the curriculum choices available to students. The warm, friendly atmosphere of the school contributes significantly to pupils feeling safe and valued, alongside it promoting their personal development through extensive extracurricular opportunities. However, some aspects require improvement, particularly regarding the alignment of lesson activities with curriculum ambitions. Occasionally, not all pupils are sufficiently challenged, which can hinder their learning. Additionally, there is mixed practice in checking pupils' understanding, leading to some gaps in knowledge remaining unaddressed. Overall, while there are areas that need attention, the school is making solid progress in fostering both educational outcomes and personal development for its students.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil achievement
• Warm and friendly school environment
• Strong support for pupils' personal development
• Proactive staff guidance on behaviour
• Well-managed extracurricular activities
• Clear ambition for academic and vocational curriculum
• Effective promotion of reading and vocabulary skills
• Supportive training for staff to assist pupils with SEND

Areas for Improvement

• Mismatch of lesson activities with curriculum ambitions
• Inconsistent checking of pupil understanding across units

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 Sandymoor Ormiston Academy attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.9% 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, 5.5% of pupils at Sandymoor Ormiston Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Sandymoor Ormiston Academy had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.7% 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, 12.8% of pupils at Sandymoor Ormiston Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.1% 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 Sandymoor Ormiston Academy received £8,679 and spent £8,670 for each of its 599 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £452,000 (£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 Runcorn · Halton local authority: places and applications

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

• Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy Runcorn
• Ormiston Chadwick Academy Widnes
• Packmoor Ormiston Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Ormiston Horizon Academy Stoke On Trent
• Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Ormiston Meridian Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Ormiston NEW Academy Wolverhampton
• Brownhills Ormiston Academy Walsall
• Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy Walsall
• Ormiston SWB Academy Bilston

What is Sandymoor Ormiston Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sandymoor Ormiston Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Sandymoor Ormiston Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Sandymoor Ormiston Academy was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Sandymoor Ormiston Academy have?

Sandymoor Ormiston Academy has 631 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sandymoor Ormiston Academy cover?

Sandymoor Ormiston Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Sandymoor Ormiston Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.2, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Sandymoor Ormiston Academy?

Sandymoor Ormiston Academy is at Sandymoor Ormiston Academy, Wharford Lane, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 1QU.