News
Ofsted confirms Ormiston Forge Academy’s Continued Success
Students and staff at Ormiston Forge Academy are celebrating today after Ofsted has once again rated the academy ‘Good’, recognising its continued success.
Principal of Ormiston Forge Academy, Dr Lisa Mason, said she was “delighted” with this latest Ofsted inspection. The report said that ‘Ormiston Forge Academy is a very caring school’ and that students ‘feel happy and safe here as part of the Forge Family’. The report also highlighted that ‘leaders are ambitious for every pupil and work hard to give them the best possible opportunity’, with teachers at the Academy also setting ‘high expectations’ for students.
Dr Lisa Mason added: “This report is a real testament to our students, staff and our community who have all worked together to make the Forge Family and our Academy a success. They deserve the best and we’ll be relentless in sustaining these high standards and pushing on to the next level, as we work towards becoming an Outstanding Academy.
“I would like to thank Andrew Burns, our previous principal, who laid the foundations for this success and continues to support us as Executive Principal. I am proud to be continuing his work and to serve our community by removing barriers to education and ensure that our students have the very best opportunities available to them.”
The Academy, which is sponsored by Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT), was previously rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in March 2016. The latest inspection once again confirms the success of the Academy, which continues to be on a strong upward trajectory.
The report highlighted that teachers at the Academy had ‘high expectations’ and that they ‘plan well to get the most out of lessons’. Inspectors also recognised how the Academy’s success centre makes sure students that require additional support get it and can catch up quickly. Forge students told inspectors ‘that they had made a lot of improvement because of this support’.
Progress among sixth form students was attributed to well-planned lessons and ‘pupils working with increasing levels of independence’. Sixth form students were also praised for playing a significant part in Academy life and helping younger students. The report also mentioned the good advice sixth formers were given ‘to help them make the right decisions about further education and career choices’.
Ofsted also noted that students at the oversubscribed Academy on Wrights Lane in Cradley Heath develop ‘a responsible interest in the world around them’, thanks to the high priority given to spiritual, moral and cultural education that is threaded throughout the Academy.
Executive Principal of Ormiston Forge Academy, Andrew Burns said: “Our young people are at the heart of everything we do, we make decisions that will have the biggest positive impact on them and their lives. They’ll leave us culturally and academically richer and I’m delighted that Ofsted has recognised this.”
The report also recognised the positive role of the Academy’s sponsor Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT) and the Academy governors, noting how they both work closely alongside the Academy ‘offering appropriate support and challenge’.
Nick Hudson, Chief Executive Officer at Ormiston Academies Trust said: “We are so pleased that the continued excellence and high quality of education at Ormiston Forge Academy has been confirmed by Ofsted and I would like to congratulate everyone involved. We look forward to continuing to support the academy as it pushes to achieve even greater heights.”
To read the full report, please visit reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137673
Forge Academy Will Feed Community with £4,000 Award
Ormiston Forge Academy’s Food Technology department are the proud recipients of a £4,000 grant, courtesy of the Tesco Bags Of Help scheme.
The Tesco Bags Of Help scheme is funded by sales of the reusable Bag For Life in Tesco stores nationwide, to encourage shoppers to reduce their consumption of single-use plastic carrier bags. Tesco work with national charity Groundwork to administer the Bags Of Help grants every 3 months to outstanding projects in the UK that contribute to improving local communities. So far, Bags of Help has awarded over £80 million in grants to over 27,000 community projects since launching in October 2015.
Ormiston Forge Academy’s proposal was one of three nominated projects that customers could vote for in local Tesco stores this Summer, with voting closing on 30th June.
The grant will help to fund a special outreach project spearheaded by the Academy that will work with Forge students, local primary schools and the wider community of Cradley Heath. The project will see the Food Technology department provide cookery sessions and promote healthy lifestyles within the area.
Rebecca Potter, Lead Practitioner in Food and Hospitality for Ormiston Forge Academy said:
“I am absolutely delighted that we have received this award. We are incredibly lucky to have such enthusiastic and committed students who are so engaged with Food Technology as a subject, and I am looking forward to sharing this enthusiasm with the wider community. We have already invested part of the grant into brand new equipment and aprons for the project, and we are looking forward to the future.”
Join Us for Our Sixth Form Open Event this December
Ormiston Forge Academy Sixth Form in Cradley Heath is throwing open its doors in December to prospective post-16 students at its annual open event on Wednesday 4th December.
Students who are due to start post-16 studies in September 2020 are invited to visit Forge Sixth Form to get a taster of life and study with us. Students at the Academy achieved another strong set of A level results this Summer, as well as an outstanding record of 100% of leavers going to university, work or apprenticeships.
The doors will be open from 5.00pm–7.00pm on Wednesday 4th December.
Visitors will be able to see the enormous variety and quality of courses Forge has to offer students for study after year 11. A number of universities will be in attendance, as well as The Access Project who help students improve their grades even more and support their applications to top universities. Our groundbreaking Football Academy programme will also be present, which offers scholars the opportunity to combine full-time U19 football with study.
Darren Grimes, Assistant Principal for Key Stage 5, said: “2019 has been a fantastic year for Forge Sixth Form. We sent our first student to Cambridge and another student was accepted to study medicine. Our results have shown that over the last few years, students who study in our sixth form do well. We’ve created an environment where they are able to flourish; it’s a safe place where they have academic and pastoral support, and the result is that they are happy and successful.
“Our Football Academy programme is going from strength to strength and our applied general results are above the national average. We are really looking forward to showing our outcomes to prospective parents and students.“
The event, on Wednesday 4th December, is open to current students at Forge as well as external candidates. Please contact Mrs Yvonne Siviter on 01384 566 598 or email yvonne.siviter@oatforge.co.uk if you have any questions.
You can find the Sixth Form admissions page here: www.ormistonforgeacademy.co.uk/admissions/6th-form
Forge caterers receive award for Academy food
Forge school caterers Educaterers have been awarded accreditation by The Soil Association for the food served at the Academy.
The Soil Association are an organic certification body, that help consumers identify caterers that use locally-sourced ingredients from ethical and sustainable providers, promote healthy eating and prepare freshly cooked meals.
Educaterers were awarded The Bronze Food for Life Served Here accreditation which is given for caterers that meet these criteria:
- Use of free range eggs only
- No genetically modified ingredients
- No undesirable additives or trans fats
- Use of ethical sources that meet animal welfare standards
- No endangered fish
- 75% or over meals are cooked from scratch
- Fully trained staff
- Free drinking water provider
- Nutritional standards for sector met
- Menus suitable for all dietary requirements
- Positive marketing about ingredient sources
- Use and promotion of seasonal ingredients
Accreditation was awarded to Educaterers following a rigorous local inspection that took place over the summer earlier this year. The standards are set by industry experts from a wide range of sectors, created with public health priorities and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in mind.
Students and their families can now be assured of the commitment to Educaterers to providing catering that uses local produce, supports the local economy and protects the environment for the future.
To learn more about The Soil Association, their missions, and the Food For Life Served Here accreditation, please visit https://www.foodforlife.org.uk/catering/food-for-life-served-here.
Updated Extracurricular Activities
We’ve updated our extensive whole school extracurricular programme and added new clubs at Forge. Please download the PDFs below for a weekly plan of our activities. Thank you.
Extracurricular activities – click to download
Odd Socks Day 2019
On Tuesday 12 November, we celebrate Odd Socks Day for Anti-Bullying Week. Following on the success of last year’s Odd Socks Day – which reached almost 4 million students across the country – Forge students are invited to wear odd socks to school – students do not have to make a donation to wear odd socks.
Odd Socks Day celebrates what makes us all unique and highlights the issue of bullying in a fun way. You don’t need to spend money on a costume, simply wear your favourite odd socks to symbolize how we are all different and to encourage children to be themselves, accepting of one another and to celebrate difference.
Anti-Bullying Week, supported by O2, is urging everyone to remember that “Change Starts With Us” underlining how everyday acts like listening to young people, having a conversation, thinking about the impact of our words or stopping before hitting ‘like’ on a hurtful social media post, can all help to reduce bullying.
Anti-Bullying Week is expected to be celebrated in over three-quarters of schools across England between 11 to 15 November and we have a number of activities planned with students across the week.
www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week
Highflyers head to Cambridge University with help of OCR bursaries
Thirteen of the West Midlands’ most talented A level students, described as “remarkable”, “outstanding”, “extremely gifted” and “exceptional”, have won bursaries from exam board OCR to support them with studies at the University of Cambridge.
One of those students is Sehrish Mahmood from Cradley Heath, who attended Ormiston Forge Academy and will be studying Law at Magdalene College.
The students, all of whom are about to begin studies at Cambridge, will receive £3,000 for each year of their undergraduate studies. This will allow them to make the most of their time at university rather than worrying about money. The students attended schools and colleges across the West Midlands, including in Birmingham, Coventry, Redditch, Uttoxeter, Bromsgrove, Cradley Heath, Stratford and Shrewsbury.
Sehrish said: “I feel very fortunate to have been granted the OCR Bursary. The financial support will allow me to engage in many opportunities presented at the University of Cambridge, in regards to both my studies and any extracurricular activities I take on, that may not have been accessible to me otherwise. I am confident that the absence of financial burden will enable me to flourish at the university, and maximise my potential. To OCR I am thankful, as I know this bursary will benefit me, and others, greatly.“
The bursary winners were celebrated at an event at OCR’s Coventry offices on 19 September.
Congratulating the students on their achievements, Saul Nassé, Chief Executive of OCR’s parent organisation, Cambridge Assessment, said: “We feel lucky to play our small part in helping these 13 outstanding students with their studies at Cambridge University.
“They won places at Cambridge, so they are all academic high flyers but they have other talents too. Many have supported other students in their schools and carried out voluntary work in their local communities. There are also gifted musicians, performing artists, sportspeople, debaters and science and maths competition winners amongst them.
“It has been great to meet them today, along with their families and the teachers who have inspired and supported them. I am sure they will all flourish at Cambridge University and I wish them all the best for their time in college and beyond.“
Year 11 Mock Exam Timetable
Year 11 students were given their mock exam timetable today. Please find it below for reference.
Extracurricular Activities 2019/20
We offer an extensive whole school extracurricular programme at Forge. Please download the PDF below for a weekly plan of our activities. Thank you.
Ormiston Forge Academy Celebrate GCSE Results
With over half of all students achieving a GCSE Grade 4 or above in English and maths, there is cause for smiles and celebration today at Forge.
Overall, 54 per cent of students achieved a Grade 4 or above in both English and maths – with Grade 4 set by the Government as a pass. This also represents a 7 per cent increase on the Grade 4 English and maths from 2018.
There has also been a six-percentage-point increase, to 32 per cent, in the number of students achieving a Grade 5 or above in both English and maths – defined by the Government as a “strong pass” or better.
In English, 72 per cent of students achieved Grade 4 or above, an 8 per cent increase on the 2018 result. In BTEC sport, 94 per cent of students earned a Distinction, this coming after an incredible result in 2018 where 90 per cent of students performed to the highest level. The Academy also saw strong attainment in individual subjects where 25 per cent of biology students, 22 per cent of physics students, 33 per cent of classics students and 38 per cent of chemistry students achieved a Grade 7 or above.
Dr Lisa Mason, Principal at Ormiston Forge Academy, said:
“We are pleased with the GCSE results this year which show a significant and obvious attainment improvement on our strong results from 2018. We are proud of the achievement of our students and the tremendous effort our teachers have put in.
“The results this year complement our excellent A level results showing just how much value we are adding to students’ academic outcomes.”
Last week students at Forge capped a remarkable year with 91 per cent of the A level cohort achieving three or more passes at grades A*-E. Students from the Academy – judged Good in all areas following an inspection by Ofsted in 2016 – achieved a 100% pass rate in all subjects.
The Ormiston Forge Academy Open Days for prospective parents are on Thursday 19th September from 6.00pm–8.30pm and Saturday 21st September from 9am until 12. Parents and children and invited to come and see Forge and all it has to offer for themselves.
GCSE subjects are marked under the new 1-9 grading system, with 9 being the highest grade. New GCSEs are linear in structure rather than modular, with all exams at the end of a two-year course. A grade 4 is effectively an old C grade and the top grade, a grade 9 is the equivalent of the very top A*.
Bilal Ali, Jayden Bafoa and Lily King
