Ormiston Bushfield Academy
 | |
| Established | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Eric Winstone |
| Location |
Ormiston Bushfield Academy, Ortongate, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 5RQ United Kingdom |
| Local authority | Peterborough |
| DfE URN | 135980 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour, Enterprise |
| Website | www.bushfield.co.uk |
Ormiston Bushfield Academy, formerly known as Bushfield Community College, is located in the Ortongate area of Peterborough.
The Academy is situated next to one of Peterborough’s largest libraries, a thriving sports centre and is alongside an emerging shopping quarter for this side of the city.
The school gained academy status in 2009 and since then academic performance has soared. In September 2012 students moved into a £20million, purpose built Academy building featuring a dedicated media centre, dance and drama studios, and an all-weather football pitch shared with bushfields sports centre. The Academy caters for 950 students aged between 11 and 18 and has a thriving post-16 offering.
Ormiston Bushfield Academy has specialisms in Mathematics, Sport and Performing Arts. The Academy’s motto is ‘Opportunity, Belief, Aspiration’.
The Principal of the academy is Eric Winstone who has over 35 years’ experience in education. Ormiston Bushfield Academy is one of the fastest improving Academies in the UK with academic results consistently increasing year on year.
Twitter handles and Facebook pages can be found here - @obapeterborough - @ericwinstone - @OBAsixthform - @OBAdancedrama - @OBAFilmAndMedia - @sportOBA www.facebook.com/ormistonbushfieldacademyalumni
OFSTED Reports
Ormiston Bushfield Academy has received consistently good ratings from OFSTED. The 2012 report found that the Academy demonstrates a relentless drive for improvement which has ensured rapid progression in teaching and students’ outcomes.
Inspectors observed solid teaching with high expectations and standards.
They also praised the way in which students’ skills of independent learning are developed and the way that students are enabled to achieve their potential.
Ofsted Report Comments
“Teachers enthuse about their subject and make learning fun, they set the highest expectations for students.”
“Students quickly develop independent learning skills because they are given opportunities to do so, both within class, and in free time.”
History
Bushfield Community College was first opened in 1978.
The College was converted to academy status in 2009, and became Ormiston Bushfield Academy. In September 2012 students moved into a £20million, purpose built Academy building.
The old Community College buildings were demolished in 2012/2013.
New building
The new £20million building was opened in September 2012.
Students can now take full advantage of up to date, state of the art facilities including:
• 542m square library,
• specialist areas for all subjects,
• a purpose built dance and drama studio,
• television and radio studio,
• an all-weather football pitch,
• specialist provision for all students with special education needs,
• student designed sixth form facilities,
• facilities for adult learning and for community use.
Partnership with BGL
Ormiston Bushfield Academy has developed a close partnership with the BGL group.
BGL’s support of the Academy brings invaluable opportunities for training, mentoring and apprenticeships for students. The partnership has also enabled the purchase of new equipment for the Academy’s media and ICT department.
Principal of the Academy, Eric Winstone has said of the partnership “We are making sure our students leave school in the best possible position for the future, equipped with the skills that businesses need.”
Post-16 provision
The Academy provides students with opportunities to continue their studies after 16.
A Levels, BTEC and vocational courses are all on offer:
• Art
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Economics
• English Literature
• English Literature and Language
• Film Studies
• French
• Further Mathematics
• Geography
• Government and Politics
• Health and Social
• History
• Information Technology
• Mathematics
• Media Studies
• Music
• Photography
• Physics
• Psychology
• Sociology
Academic Performance
Ormiston Bushfield Academy is recognised as one of the fastest improving academies across the country.
Since securing academy status in 2009, A-Level results have been consistently above a 90% pass rate. 2012 saw the Academy’s best GCSE results in its history. 93% of students received 5 GCSEs at A*-C grades, and 50% of these students had 5 A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths. When looking at the schools’ specialisms, Maths saw 67% of students receive A*-C grades and 100% of students achieved an A*C grade in Performing arts and Sport.
The year 2012 also boasted high A Level results at the Academy with a total pass rate of 92%. Performing arts again achieved good results with 80% of its students receiving an A*-B grade. Maths department were also successful with 67% of its students receiving A*-B grades, whilst the Media department had 58% of its students achieving this grade range.
Awards
Ormiston Bushfield was the first Academy in the UK to receive the prestigious Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) quality mark in more than one subject area.
The mark recognises the quality of educational provision at the Academy in Performing Arts and Physical Education.
It was also the second school in the UK to achieve the Continuous Professional Learning Development Award which recognises the schools commitment to investing in their staff.
The Academy is a recipient of the ICT BECTA quality mark which is awarded to educational facilities where ICT is used effectively to enhance the learning of all subjects.
Sport and extracurricular activities
Ormiston Bushfield Academy wants all its students to take part in activities and experiences outside of normal academy lessons. There is a vibrant after-school offer with a range of activities and sports.
As well as traditional sports such as football, rugby, netball and athletics, students can also take part in rowing, mountain biking and other outdoor pursuits. PE staff at OBA also hold coaching qualifications in other sports including trampolining, basketball, tennis, and golf.
Bushfield Sports Centre is the Academy’s sport centre. It has over 10 acres of playing fields including football, rugby and hockey pitches, track and field facilities. There is also an all-weather floodlit pitch and floodlit Astroturf area, tennis courts, gym, sports hall, squash courts, weights room and Planet Pulse fitness studio.
Sports and outdoor pursuits are not the only extracurricular activities on offer at OBA. Other activities include extended learning in a variety of areas including modern languages, ICT, Maths and Science. Students are also able to use the Academy’s new digital media facilities to develop their skills further. This includes a journalism club which makes use of the TV studio, radio studio and Apple Mac suites. A Duke of Edinburgh Award group has also been established with students achieving bronze, silver and gold awards.
Ormiston Bushfield Academy’s girls’ rugby team played, and won, two matches at Twickenham before the RBS Six Nations England v France rugby match on Saturday 23 February. The Academy’s girls’ rugby team was talent-spotted by a Regional Development Coach, who invited the team to play the warm up match before the international game at the home of English rugby. To read more click here
Houses
Student care, support and guidance is organised through the Academy’s four Houses.
Each House has a Head of House, a team of tutors and support staff and holds a weekly assembly. Houses also have a number of tutor groups which are made up of students from every year in the Academy.
This is known as a vertical tutoring system and helps the Academy to create a family unit where older students take responsibility for supporting younger students and act as important role models.
The form tutor also has an important role as they monitor the progress of their students as well as their attendance and behaviour.
The Ormiston Trust
Ormiston Bushfield Academy is sponsored by the Ormiston Academies Trust. The Trust currently sponsors 20 academies across England.
Ormiston Academies Trust is a national charity that aims to improve the life-chances of children and young people so they can fulfil their potential and lead happy and productive lives.
The network provides the highest levels of achievement for students and the communities in which they live.
In 2012 90% of students achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C. The Trust has also virtually eliminated permanent exclusions and attendance figures show significant improvement from the predecessor school across the network.
External links
- Ormiston Bushfield Academy
- Ormiston Academies Trust
- BGL Group
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-18785162
- Rugby Success at Twickenham
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