An extraordinary school

Welcome to Orion Spires. As the new Principal, I am delighted to introduce myself to our parents, carers and wider community, and to share a little of what makes our school such a special place to learn and grow.

It is a privilege to join a school community with such a strong tradition of achievement, aspiration and care. As part of Orion Education, we benefit from belonging to a trust that brings schools together to share expertise, support one another and create the very best opportunities for young people.

Our shared values of Trust, Kindness and Endeavour are at the heart of daily life at Orion Spires. Trust helps us build strong relationships, kindness ensures everyone feels valued and respected, and endeavour encourages our students to work hard, embrace challenges and strive for excellence.

We are proud to celebrate our students’ recent GCSE successes; this represents another year of record-breaking results for the school.  These achievements reflect their hard work, determination and ambition, alongside the dedication of our talented staff and the invaluable support of parents and carers.

Life at Orion Spires extends well beyond the classroom. Through our Pupil Promise, students can enjoy enriching opportunities such as sports clubs, wider extracurricular activities and targeted academic interventions, helping them discover new interests, develop their talents and access the support they need to succeed.

As we begin this new chapter together, I look forward to building on the school’s many successes. Our aim is for every child to receive an exceptional education that secures strong qualifications while also nurturing confidence, character, resilience and a lifelong love of learning. Through a robust careers programme, we will also ensure that every student is well prepared to move successfully onto the right post-16 pathway.

Thank you for visiting our website. I hope it gives you a warm and helpful insight into life at Orion Spires, our achievements and the many opportunities available to our students.

Mr Ricky Archer

Principal

This is what Ofsted said following their inspection in January 2023;

Pupils recognise that leaders have raised expectations of how pupils conduct themselves in school. They feel safe because the school rules make clear how pupils should behave and treat one another with respect.

Assemblies teach pupils the important values of ‘respect, responsibility and resilience’, which are key to being a ‘Spires pupil’.

Leaders have clear plans in place to enrich the personal development and talents of all pupils. A number of pupils in key stage 3 are proud to be members of the sports academy, where they can represent the school in local tournaments. Through the key stage 3 ethics curriculum, pupils learn to debate opposing views about ethical dilemmas.

Orion Spires is part of Orion Education Trust.  

Orion Education is a values-led organisation, driven by a determination to create welcoming and open schools for the local community, where every person thrives, makes excellent progress, and succeeds. We are committed to improving outcomes and transforming lives, realising social mobility, and the transformative power of education. We value the difference in all of our schools while seeking to bring them together around a framework that delivers an enriching experience and a great education for the young people within our care. 

We want the very best for all of our young people. Our plan to ensure that we deliver great schools is underpinned by our shared values of trust, kindness, and endeavour. Our schools and our staff are collaborative and we seek to create consistency and quality throughout.  

Our leaders create improvement in schools that is robust and sustainable. We are as enthusiastic about developing and nurturing our staff, as we are about developing our young people. Our professional development programs and our approach to school improvement provide quality and rigour while creating a depth of experience and learning for our staff.  

Whether you are a parent looking to send your child to one of our schools or a staff member looking to join us, I hope that you enjoy what you read about our schools and our Trust. 

Simon Garrill
CEO