Orion Academy

Overview

Orion Academy is described as a "welcoming and supportive school" where pupils feel safe and staff build positive relationships. However, the report states that the school "Requires improvement" in overall effectiveness, the quality of education, behaviour, and leadership, primarily due to an ineffective curriculum and low attendance.

Strengths

• Staff understand pupils’ social and emotional needs well, creating a culture where "pupils feel safe and trust staff".
• Personal development is rated "Good", with pupils accessing engaging activities, trips, and a well-established careers programme.
• A "rigorous early reading curriculum" is in place, enabling many pupils to become "confident and fluent readers".
• When in school, pupils behave well, and staff act swiftly to tackle disruption, ensuring "learning is rarely disrupted".
• Staff feel valued, and the school is "considerate of staff’s well-being and workload".

Areas to improve

• The school must urgently establish a coherent strategy to improve attendance, as "too many pupils do not attend school regularly".
• Curriculum planning lacks clarity and ambition; leaders must ensure it "clearly identifies what pupils must learn" and that staff have the knowledge to teach it.
• Governance must improve, as those responsible do not currently "evaluate the school’s priorities accurately" or effectively challenge leaders.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."