Ofsted Visit

Dear Parents and Carers
I am sure you will be aware that Ofsted visited our school on Wednesday and Thursday of last week for their second monitoring visit. Following our first, very positive monitoring visit in October 2023 – which primarily focused on behaviour – we were looking forward to this visit, not only to showcase our continuing work on improving behaviour, but also our improvements around curriculum and teaching and learning.

We were visited by two Senior His Majesty’s Inspectors: Mrs Sue Morris-King and Mr Chris Stevens. This was Sue’s third visit to the school. Since her first visit in February 2023, Sue has closely scrutinised and supported us in our improvement journey.

At the end of the first day, it was clear that the academy was no longer inadequate, and the inspection was converted from a one day monitoring visit to a graded Section 5 inspection. I am unable to disclose the outcome of the graded inspection at this point, but I am able to tell you that it went very well. The outcome will remain confidential for up to thirty days when I expect to be able to share the full inspection report with you.

However, I am able to share some of the verbal feedback given to leaders and OAT representatives at the end of the second day.

Firstly, our pupils were superb in their conduct and interactions with the inspectors who were very impressed with their confidence and positivity over both days. Pupils were described as confident, polite and pleasant. Pupils went out of their way to share with inspectors details of our improvement journey over the last 15 months and how things have changed for the better at the academy. Pupils are rightly very proud of their school.

Inspectors recognised leaders were ambitious in all aspects of school improvement and have led and
embedded significant and impressive change across all aspects of school life. They noted that Tenbury High Ormiston Academy is an inclusive school, at the heart of the community, where staff/pupil relationships are warm but strong and boundaries are established in a firm but gentle way.

Finally, inspectors were complimentary about the support received from Ormiston Academies Trust as well as the challenge received from Governors and Trustees.

I look forward to sharing the final report with you as soon as I am able to.

Yours sincerely
Mrs V Dean
Principal