Orion Academy
Knights Road, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, OX4 6DQ
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special sponsor led
- Ages
- 10 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Trust
- THE GALLERY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Co Headteacher Hannah Shuker Jessie Shakespeare
- Sponsor
- The Gallery Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Oxford East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 94
- Pupils on roll
- 74
- URN
- 147728
- Local authority
- Oxfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01865771703
About this school
Orion Academy is a boys' special academy in Oxford. It teaches children aged 10 to 18 and has 74 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Orion Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 4 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | - |
| Expected standard in reading | - |
| Expected standard in maths | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 6 | 15 | 13 |
| Attainment 8 score | 9.7 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
| Progress 8 score | -1.47 -2.60 to -0.34 | -2.62 -3.39 to -1.85 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 17% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 17% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Orion Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Oxfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.7 | 38.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 3.4 | 37.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 4.3 | 37.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 25.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 30.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 31.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 96 |
| 2023/24 | 83 |
| 2024/25 | 74 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 76.39%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 31.06%
- Persistent absence
- 61.33%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Oxfordshire Hospital School0.5 miles
Special schools · Oxford
-
Mabel Prichard School0.5 miles
Academies · Oxford
-
Emmanuel Christian School0.7 miles
Independent schools · Oxford
-
Kings Education (Oxford)1.3 miles
Independent schools · Oxford
-
The Iffley Academy1.5 miles
Academies · Oxford
Other schools in Oxford
- Chilworth House School Special schools
- Endeavour Academy, Oxford Academies
- John Watson School Academies
- LVS Oxford Special schools
- Mabel Prichard School Academies
- Meadowbrook College Academies
- Northern House Academy Academies
- Oxfordshire Hospital School Special schools
- Park School Special schools
- The Iffley Academy Academies
- Woodeaton Manor School Academies
- Comper Nursery School Nursery
Common questions
- What ages does Orion Academy teach?
- Orion Academy teaches children aged 10 to 18. It is a special school in Oxford.
- Who is the headteacher of Orion Academy?
- The headteacher of Orion Academy is Co Headteacher Hannah Shuker Jessie Shakespeare, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Orion Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Orion Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Orion Academy?
- Orion Academy has 74 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 10 to 18.
- Is Orion Academy full?
- Orion Academy has capacity for 94 pupils and 74 on roll (79%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Orion Academy a faith school?
- No. Orion Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Orion Academy part of an academy trust?
- Orion Academy is part of THE GALLERY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Orion Academy have?
- The schools register lists Orion Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Orion Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 9.7 in 2022/23 and 4.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Orion Academy's absence rate?
- Orion Academy's overall absence rate is 31.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Orion Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Orion Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 10 July 2026.