ORMISTON Bushfield has become the first Academy in the UK to receive the prestigious Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) quality mark in more than one subject area.

Only ten Academies in the country have been awarded the mark, and no other Academy has received it in two subject areas. Staff and students at Ormiston Bushfield are now celebrating the achievement which recognises the quality of educational provision at the Academy in Performing Arts and PE (Physical Education).

This quality mark follows hot on the heels of two further awards that have been received by the Academy. In October 2011 Ormiston Bushfield became only the second school in the UK to achieve the Continuous Professional Learning Development award. This award recognises the commitment to investment in staff to ensure ongoing professional development. It also acknowledges the link between this commitment to investment and student attainment.

Ormiston Bushfield Academy has also recently received the ICT BECTA quality mark which is awarded to educational facilities where ICT is used to enhance learning across the curriculum and not simply as a standalone subject. Schools receiving the mark must demonstrate that ICT offers value for money for the school, through significantly improving the learning environment and opportunities for students. Ormiston Bushfield is now mentoring other schools, both locally and nationally, to achieve the award.

Chris Bennet, deputy principal at Ormiston Bushfield Academy believes it’s important for all schools to seek external review and evaluate their progress on an ongoing basis. He said “I’m delighted to have been awarded these quality marks – they are recognition of the hard work we put in to providing the best possible learning environment for students. Achieving awards and quality marks involves external review of our performance which is an important part of quality assurance. The key thing is to ensure that our students are benefitting from the improvements we make; their well-being and helping them to achieve their aspirations is our priority.”