Ormiston Maritime Academy, Grimsby

Ofsted's report card from its 23 June 2026 inspection grades Ormiston Maritime Academy on 6 areas: 1 needs attention and 5 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Leaders have developed a coherent programme of personal, social and health education programme, which is an entitlement for all pupils."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Pupils do not achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Urgent improvement. "Pupils do not attend school regularly enough."

Curriculum and teaching - Urgent improvement. "Leaders have established a curriculum, which is sequenced in a broadly appropriate way."

Inclusion - Urgent improvement. "Leaders do not identify and assess pupils' needs accurately and specifically."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "The vast majority of achievement, attendance and behaviour indicators across the school have declined over time and are significantly below average."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders, trustees and governors must ensure that they act swiftly to identify, prioritise and implement effective strategies to improve the school's provision and meet all of their statutory duties"; "Leaders must ensure that there are effective systems to support pupils to attend school well and to support pupils who are absent to catch up with missed learning, when they return to school"; "Leaders must ensure that teachers identify and address gaps in pupils' basic knowledge and skills to support them to achieve well and be ready for the next stage of education, employment or training"; "Leaders must ensure that the needs of pupils who face barriers to their learning, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and pupils who are disadvantaged, are identified specifically and that these pupils are well supported to overcome these barriers so that that they attend and achieve well"; "Leaders must ensure that teachers check pupils' understanding systematically and that misunderstandings and misconceptions are addressed before moving on to new learning"; "Leaders must develop and embed recent changes to the behaviour system to secure further improvements in pupils' conduct and behaviour and that incidents of bullying and discriminatory language are reduced"; "Leaders must ensure that pupils reflect their learning about diversity, respect and tolerance in their behaviour towards one another and other adults".

In its own words: "All OMA students, irrespective of their backgrounds, will be exceptional learners, so they are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, qualifications and mindset to contribute positively in society. At OMA, we believe that students will aspire to excellence through literacy, with a specific focus on oracy at Key Stage 3."

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are proud of our academy and the students and staff who make up this community. One of our top priorities is to ensure all students feel safe and happy here at the academy. Ormiston Maritime Academy is a place of inclusive learning which holds the young person at the centre of our decisions and processes."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, chess, gardening, cadets and philosophy.

In 2026, pupils at Ormiston Maritime Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 30.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 38.3 in North East Lincolnshire and 47 across England.

17% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 31% in North East Lincolnshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 33.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.76: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 25.6, against 37.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Geography, Combined Science and Engineering Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 120 families put Ormiston Maritime Academy as their first choice and 219 named it as one of their preferences, for 137 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Ormiston Maritime Academy are Oasis Academy Wintringham (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 35.6); Special Educational Needs Support Service (Senss) (1.5 miles); John Whitgift Academy (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50); and Havelock Academy (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.3).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Ormiston Maritime Academy.

Ormiston Maritime Academy is one of 44 schools run by Ormiston Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41 in 2024/25.

44 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ormiston Maritime Academy (as of April 2026): 96% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).

Of the 116 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 53% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

54.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 175 pupils (22.3%) received SEN support and 75 (9.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Grimsby Town Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hereford School (outside), 60 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 508 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in North East Lincolnshire (211), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Ormiston Maritime Academy issued 676 suspensions, 83.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 13 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Ormiston Maritime Academy are Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe (0.4 miles), Grange Primary School (0.7 miles), Yarborough Academy (0.8 miles) and Lisle Marsden Church of England Primary Academy (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.