Pastoral Manager

Thank you for your interest in applying for a role at Ormskirk School.

Ormskirk School was formed in September 2001 as a result of the merger of Ormskirk Grammar School and Cross Hall School. The school is consistently oversubscribed with an admission number of 250.

The school serves the market town of Ormskirk and its neighbour Aughton, together with the surrounding rural parishes. Latterly the school has attracted increasing numbers of students from beyond its delineated priority area, largely from the neighbouring town of Skelmersdale. The school is a truly comprehensive one and we see this as a strength. The proportion of children receiving free school meals, has doubled in the last five years. 

The main employers in Ormskirk are the hospital and Edge Hill University. Many parents travel to Manchester, Preston or Liverpool to work, and some are very affluent. In general, parents are supportive of the school. The school has a very active parental consultation group which meets once each term to review areas of the school’s work. Attendance at subject consultation evenings is very high, and latterly has been above 90%. The school’s own surveys, together with other evidence, indicate that parental views of the school have improved significantly in the last few years.

Outcomes in terms of attainment are high and the school’s examination results are set out on the school’s website. The average 4+ in English and Maths, has been consistently around 68% over the past few years One of the main targets for our school improvement plan is improving progress across all subjects, particularly with SEND and disadvantaged students.  Our 6th form provision is growing – last year over half of our year 11 students returned to our Sixth Form College, making us one of the largest school sixth forms in Lancashire. 

Due to turbulence in leadership over the past few years the school was judged to have serious weaknesses by Ofsted in May 2019. The visit occurred just 19 school days after I had taken up the post of headteacher. A new deputy headteacher was appointed and took up post in September 2019. We are currently in the process of further strengthening leadership capacity throughout the school.  We are on a journey of rapid improvement and a number of reviews have taken place since the inspection. The Governing Body has been strengthened considerably over the past months. 

In terms of in school improvement since the Ofsted judgement we have focused on the basics and simplifying systems and structures. As a result,this academic year we have seen attendance since September improve by 1.3% compared to the same time period last academic year. Likewise pupil premium attendance has increased by over 2% and SEND attendance has increased by over 4%. Fixed term exclusions have reduced by almost 50% and permanent exclusions have reduced by over 80%. Removals from lessons have also reduced by over 80%. The journey of improvement is still a long, but exciting one. A whole school two day review was undertaken by external partners earlier in January and the improvements were acknowledged.  Some examples of what the report stated are:

· “There has been impact in the areas that it was needed – and it is now sustained….. this is confirmed through student and staff voice and through learning walks.”

· “8 months after the inspection – improvement seen in the first 19 days is sustained. The school has been transformed. The climate is phenomenally better.”

· “Staff were very complimentary with regard to the changes made since Easter and particularly since September.”

There is much to celebrate and be proud of at Ormskirk School and Sixth Form College, however there is much more to do in order to provide the excellent education that all our young people deserve.

Staff are valued and supported at Ormskirk School. Staff willingly give of their own time to ensure that the young people in the Ormskirk School family experience a variety of opportunities whilst at the School and 6th Form College. The range and quality of extra-curricular activities that is offered is simply stunning and is a credit to the dedicated staff team. The young people who attend our school are truly delightful. We are proactive and positive as a community and are driven to ensure that Ormskirk School becomes a beacon of excellence in Lancashire and beyond to ensure that our amazing young people fulfil their potential. 

Our goal is “to be the best we can be.” Our overall aim is to ensure that all our students are well educated, resilient, confident, secure, respectful and of smart appearance.  My personal mantra is that ‘if it isn’t good enough for our own children, then it isn’t good enough for Ormskirk School and Sixth Form College children either.’ Without exception, our expectations will be the highest, in terms of achievement, attendance, conduct, appearance and manners; we will expect all our students to live up to those expectations.

It is truly an honour and a privilege to be the Headteacher of Ormskirk School and Sixth Form College. This is a great time to join and shape the future of this fantastic school and community. There is much more to be done to move the school to the position where it should be and the journey will be a challenging one. If you feel up to the challenge and are an enthusiastic and inspirational teacher, and if you have the skills and drive to contribute to a positive successful department, then I encourage you to apply and I look forward to meeting you.

Kindest regards,

Mr M Witter 

Headteacher