Wolverhampton school's best-ever Ofsted report after a “sea change in recent years”
A school has achieved its best ever inspection grade after being rated as 'requires improvement' in its previous two Ofsted inspections.
Ormiston NEW Academy, in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, has now been rated as 'Good' in every area, from the quality of education in the classroom through to student’s behaviour and sixth form.
The school was taken over by Ormiston Academies Trust and turned into an academy in 2017 after its predecessor, North East Wolverhampton Academy, had been rated as 'requires improvement' twice.
The latest inspection report praises the school’s leaders for creating a "culture where positive behaviour and discipline are celebrated".
It says that NEW Academy is a “vibrant school”, that students “enjoy coming to” and where they are “safe”.
The Academy, in Marsh Lane, currently has 768 pupils on roll including 101 sixth-formers.
Craig Cooling, who has been principal since 2019, has said that he is ‘immensely proud’ of the Ofsted findings.
He added: "Magic happens in classrooms up and down the country every day but it doesn't happen enough.
"I'm driven to create a school environment where magic happens in every corner of the school, it'll continue when students go home and it'll mature when they leave us and become fantastic, loved, happy members of society.
"This report shows that the personal development of students at NEW Academy is a strength.
"We've worked hard all through the pandemic to ensure the best outcomes for our students in everything they do. This is the magic we create.
"The report also says that leaders are tenacious, we're creating an environment where that tenacity flows through everyone.
"I have an incredible staffing body here at NEW Academy and we aren't settling for good, we continue to plan, evolve, grow and provide our young people with the best opportunities."
The next focus for the school is to expand its football and basketball academy, with trials taking place over Easter.
It also hopes to continue developing and embedding whole school initiatives to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion.
A level student Brandon who has recently received an offer from Oxford University to study history said: "There’s been a huge change here in such a short amount of time from behaviour to a focus on reading.
"Things are so much better and I am proud to be an Ormiston NEW Academy student."
A culture of reading was noted throughout the school and the report mentions that "pupils are developing a love of reading".
Ofsted found leaders are "quick to identify pupils who have additional needs such as those with special educational and or disabilities".
The report also highlights the support pupils get and the strong progress they make.
Fourteen-year-old student Madison, said: "The biggest change is to the way we learn, we listen to our teachers and their expertise and I think the four part lesson structure helps everyone.
"I’m so happy that the school is what it is now."
