CARE values series
This week's Student Broadcast: Community, revisited
Four weeks in, the series comes back to where it started. This week's value is Community: be kind, make room for people, respect the difference. Monday's broadcast to every form group is here in full. It is a good one to watch together.
Open Evening 2026
What we told Year 6 families last night
Three questions we told every family to ask of every school they visit, with our answers.
Can I walk it on a normal day? Yes. Open Evening shows a school at its most polished. Open Week, which starts on Monday, shows an ordinary Tuesday: lessons happening, corridors moving, line-up at 8.30. We would rather be judged on that.
Do the teachers stay? We have no teaching vacancies and no long-term supply. Every teacher is coached in six-week cycles all year, and we train teachers ourselves: five Early Career Teachers and seven trainees this year. 72% of our staff say leaders listen, against a benchmark of 49%. The same four-part lesson happens in every classroom, which matters most for the child who finds change hard.
Will my child be safe, happy and successful here? Suspensions are below the national average. Every student has a form tutor for 25 minutes a day and a Head of Year and Deputy Head of Year who know them by name. Phones are away all day, and online bullying starting from phones is down 60% since October 2024. Last year 78% of Years 7 to 10 went on at least one trip or visit, up from 61%, and 97% of leavers went on to college, an apprenticeship or work.
If you know a family with a child in Year 6, applications close on 31st October.
Starts Monday: book your place
Open Week: tours of the academy
Open Evening showed you Cliff Park at its most polished. Open Week shows you an ordinary Tuesday. Every morning from Monday 5th to Friday 9th October we are running a short tour from 9.15am to 9.45am: a walk through our classrooms while lessons are happening, a chance to see the academy in action and to ask questions.
Places are limited to 20 people each day, so please book. You will get an email confirming your place.
Open to prospective families and to current parents and carers who would like a look inside.
Takes one minute. 20 places a day. Confirmation by email.
Every day counts: this week's figures
Our whole-school target is 92%. For your own child, the aim is 95% or better. These are the figures for the year so far, up to Tuesday 29th September. Wednesday's Cliff Park Attendance has the full picture, including where we stand against the country and five ways to make Friday stick.
The whole school so far this year
England's secondary schools opened the year at 94.6%. Almost all of the gap between us and the country is days with no call and no message: about 27 students a day.
Bars start at 80% so the differences are easier to see. Year 7 and Year 8 are over target. Year 10 slipped just under at 91.6%. Year 9 are our concern at 88.6%, and Year 11 are steady at 89.9%. There are 15 school days to half term: where a year group stands on 23rd October is, every year, where it finishes in July.
Watch: under a minute
Where we stand, the short version
England 94.6%. Cliff Park 91.1%. What the gap is made of, and what the days to half term can do about it. Works with the sound off.
369 students with 100% attendance, and this week's £20 winner
Congratulations to Toby Kimble in Year 9 9CCA, this week's winner of the £20 attendance draw. Toby has been in school for every session this term, and so have 368 other students: 369 in total, almost half the academy, four weeks in.
By year group that is 85 students in Year 7, 74 in Year 8, 69 in Year 9, 81 in Year 10 and 60 in Year 11. Every one of them is in the draw every week, and every one has a Resilience Token from their form tutor for each full week in school.
If your child is one of the 369, please tell them we noticed. If they are not yet, it is never too late to start a run: every student whose attendance is 100% this week, or has improved on last week, goes into Friday's draw.
Have you seen it yet?
Cliff Park Attendance: our weekly attendance newsletter
Attendance matters enough to have its own newsletter. Every Wednesday, Cliff Park Attendance gives you the week's figures by year group, where we stand against the country, what the numbers mean for your own child, and practical ideas from families who have made the mornings easier. Short, honest and written for parents and carers.
This week's edition covers the gap between us and the rest of England, the 369 students who have not missed a session, Fridays, and the 15 school days left to half term.
If it does not reach your inbox on a Wednesday, check Arbor, or bookmark the link below.
New edition every Wednesday
Hunter's Yard: 107 students take to the water
This week 107 of our students swapped the classroom for the river. Over four days, working with Hunter's Yard at Ludham, they have been out on the Broads in traditional wooden sailing boats, the kind that have been built and sailed in Norfolk for almost a century.
There is no engine on these boats. Everything depends on the wind, the tide and the crew. Students learned to read the water, handle the ropes, work the tiller and, above all, work together. A boat does not go anywhere if one person is doing all of the work and the rest are passengers, and our students found that out quickly.
What the photos do not show is how quiet some of the students were on the way out and how much they had to say on the way back. For many it was the first time they had ever been on a sailing boat. Several told staff it was the best day they have had at Cliff Park.
Thank you to the team at Hunter's Yard and to the staff who gave up their week to make the trips happen. We hope this is the start of a lasting link with the Broads on our doorstep.
Westminster: Years 8 and 9 at Parliament, Downing Street and the Supreme Court
On Tuesday a group of Year 8 and Year 9 students spent the day in Westminster, seeing the places where the country's decisions are made. The day began at the Houses of Parliament with a tour of St Stephen's Hall, the Central Lobby and the chambers where MPs and peers sit, and a chance to hear how a law gets made, from a first reading to Royal Assent.
From there it was a short walk to the gates of Downing Street, then across Parliament Square to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the United Kingdom, where the students sat in one of the courtrooms and learned how the judges decide the cases that reach them.
The students asked good questions all day, listened properly to every guide and represented Cliff Park well. Thank you to the staff who organised the day and travelled with them. A second group will make the same trip on Monday 7th December.
Sport: two from two for Year 10, and a penalty shoot-out for Year 9
The Year 10 football team made it two wins from two this season with a 2-0 victory over Bungay High School. After the 5-0 against Taverham last week, this was a tighter game and a more disciplined performance: solid at the back, patient in possession and clinical when the chances came.
The Year 9 team went into a cup tie with Thorpe St Andrew and gave everything. Level at full time, it went to penalties, and Year 9 were unlucky to go out. Penalty shoot-outs are a coin toss, and the squad can hold their heads high.
Well done to both teams, and thank you to the staff who coach, referee and drive the minibus. Results and fixtures will be in Cliff Park Connect every week this season.
Year 11: Parents' Evening and the East Norfolk Sixth Form College Open Evening, Thursday 8th October
Two things for Year 11 families are happening on the same evening next week, and we have adapted our plans so that you can do both.
East Norfolk Sixth Form College is holding its Year 11 Open Evening on Thursday 8th October from 4.00pm to 7.00pm. It is a chance to see the campus, meet staff and current students and start thinking about options for next year. Our students do not need to book a place; they can simply turn up.
Because of this, we will not be making any Parents' Evening appointments after 5.30pm that day. If your appointments finish by 5.30pm, there is time to get to the college for the rest of the evening.
If Thursday does not work for your family, do not worry. We are arranging further opportunities for our students to visit the college later in the year, and we will share the dates as soon as they are confirmed.
Three weeks left
Annual Parent and Carer Survey
Thank you to everyone who has already taken part. If you have not yet, the survey closes on Friday 23rd October and takes about ten minutes on a phone or tablet. Scan the QR code or tap the button below.
What happens to your answers. The results go to trustees, trust leaders and our own leadership team, and shape what we work on next, at Cliff Park and across the trust. We will share what you told us, and what we are doing about it, in a later edition of Cliff Park Connect.
Or scan the QR code with your phone camera
Can you help? Second-hand uniform wanted
If your child has grown out of a blazer, jumper, trousers, skirt, shirts or PE kit, we would gladly take them. Clean items in good condition go straight to Cliff Park families who need them, at no cost and in confidence.
Blazers are the most useful item of all. Thank you.
Five minutes that could be worth over £400 a year
Free school meals: three things people get wrong
On Universal Credit? Since September, your child qualifies for free school meals whatever you earn. Many families who could claim have not, usually because of one of these three beliefs.
How to apply
- Step 1Go to www.norfolk.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals, or ask main reception for a paper form
- Step 2Have your National Insurance number ready. That is all the form needs
- Step 3Submit it. Norfolk checks it with the DWP and tells us, and the meals start
"We work, so we won't qualify." Not any more. Since September, every child in a household that receives Universal Credit is entitled to free school meals, however many hours you work and whatever you earn. Families on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, the guaranteed part of Pension Credit or Child Tax Credit (without Working Tax Credit) qualify too.
"Everyone will know." Nobody will. Every student pays with the same account in the same queue, and the money simply appears on it. Staff serving lunch cannot tell, and neither can your child's friends.
"My child has a packed lunch, so there's no point." There is. Registering brings extra funding to the academy for your child, which we spend on the things that add up: trips, uniform, revision materials and music lessons. The support follows the registration, not the meal, so please register even if the lunchbox stays.
Where to get help
- Apply Norfolk County Council, free school meals www.norfolk.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals
- Not sure if you qualify? Main reception will check with you, in confidence 01493 661504, option 2
- Already registered? Nothing to do. It carries on automatically, and you can apply any time of year if things change
Get the Arbor app
Arbor is how we communicate with parents and carers: attendance, messages, reports, trips and payments all come through it, and from this year so do CARE Tokens, praise and any behaviour concerns. If you have not yet set it up on your phone, please do so this week.
- Scan the code below with your phone camera, or search for Arbor in the App Store or Google Play, and install the app
- Open the app and search for Cliff Park Ormiston Academy
- Log in with the email address you have registered with the school
- First time? Tap First time logging in to set a password. A link will be emailed to you
If the email address we hold for you is out of date, or you cannot get in, contact reception on 01493 661504, option 2, or email enquiries@cliffparkoa.co.uk and we will sort it.
Reminders
Gates close at 8.30am. Students arriving after 8.30am will be logged as late. If your child travels by bus, please make sure they use a service that arrives before 8.30am so they are in the line-up on time.
Parking and pick-up. Please do not drive into the school car park at the end of the day. At 3.00pm it is full of students on foot and on bikes, and cars moving through it put them at risk. If you are collecting by car, please park courteously on Kennedy Avenue, away from the gates and residents' driveways, and let your child walk to you. Thank you for helping to keep the end of the day safe.
Uniform. Academy blazer, sleeves down, worn at all times inside the building unless a member of staff says otherwise. White socks are not worn over tights. Hoodies are not uniform and will be confiscated. If uniform is a struggle this term, please talk to your child's Head of Year in confidence.
Main reception. Open 8.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Thursday and 8.00am to 3.30pm on Friday. 01493 661504, option 2.
Principal drop-in. Parents and carers are welcome to drop into reception between 8.50 and 9.30am every Wednesday to meet me or a member of the Senior Team. No appointment needed.
Dates for the term
Key dates for parents and carers for the rest of the Autumn term. Trips and events for specific year groups will come with a letter nearer the time.
| October | |
|---|---|
| Mon 5th to Fri 9th | Open Week: tours of the academy, 9.15am to 9.45am dailyBook a place, 20 per day |
| Thu 8th | Year 11 Parents' Evening (pre-mock information)Parents and carers welcome |
| Fri 9th | External drama production (Years 8 to 10) |
| Thu 8th | East Norfolk Sixth Form College Year 11 Open Evening, 4pm to 7pmNo booking needed |
| Wed 14th | Flu vaccinations (Years 7 to 9) |
| Thu 15th | Trip: DofE navigation walk (Years 9 and 10) |
| Tue 20th | Flu vaccinations (Years 10 and 11) |
| Thu 22nd | Year 7 Settling In EveningParents and carers welcome |
| Fri 23rd | Last day before half term |
| November | |
|---|---|
| Mon 2nd | Return from half term |
| Mon 2nd | Year 11 mock exams begin (window runs through November) |
| Tue 17th | A Cliff Park Christmas: matinee performance |
| Thu 26th | Careers Fair and Presentation EveningParents and carers welcome |
| December | |
|---|---|
| Tue 1st | Flu vaccinations mop-up (all year groups) |
| Mon 7th | Trip: Houses of Parliament (Years 8 and 9) |
| Thu 17th | Reports sent home |
| Fri 18th | Last day of autumn term |
Local support and services
A different set of services this week. All are free, and all are used by Cliff Park families. If you are not sure where to start, ask us and we will point you in the right direction.
SEND
Norfolk SENDIASS
Free, impartial advice for parents and carers of children with special educational needs or disabilities, including help with EHCPs and school meetings.
01603 704070
norfolksendiass.org.ukMental health
YoungMinds Parents Helpline
Free, confidential advice for any parent or carer worried about a child's mental health, from a trained adviser.
0808 802 5544, Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm
youngminds.org.ukFor young people
Childline
Free, confidential support for anyone under 19, by phone or online, any time of day or night.
0800 1111
childline.org.ukFood and essentials
Great Yarmouth Foodbank
Emergency food and support for families in Great Yarmouth and Gorleston. Ask us in confidence and we can arrange a referral.
greatyarmouth.foodbank.org.uk
Who to contactUseful contacts
Not sure who to speak to? Your child's form tutor is always a good first call. For anything urgent, ring the front office on 01493 661504. Tap a name to email.
Front office and attendance
| Contact | For | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Front office | General enquiries, messages for staff | 01493 661504 (option 2), cpoaenquiries@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Attendance line | Report an absence before 8.30am | 01493 661504 (option 1), cpoaattendance@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms L Ross | Attendance Manager | lross@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
Heads of Year
| Year group | Head of Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Mr D Dudley | ddudley@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Year 8 | Mr E Phillips | ephillips@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Year 9 | Mr R Callaby | rcallaby@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Year 10 | Mr M Warnes | mwarnes@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Year 11 | Mr M Harris | mharris@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
Safeguarding and support
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Ms S Huggins | Safeguarding Manager | shuggins@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms D Giles | SEMH Support Worker | dgiles@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms A Waters | Vice Principal and SENDCO | awaters@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms K Todd | PA to SENDCO, SSU Manager | ktodd@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms J Slack | Director of Behaviour and Student Care | jslack@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
Senior leadership team
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Mr H French | Principal | hfrench@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms J Spurgeon | PA to the Principal | jspurgeon@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms J Bunting | Vice Principal, Quality of Education | jbunting@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms A Waters | Vice Principal, SENDCO | awaters@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms A Dudley | Assistant Principal, Teaching and Learning | adudley@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms R Sewell | Assistant Principal, Student Development | rsewell@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Ms K Milner | Assistant Principal, Raising Attainment | kmilner@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
| Mr S Sorrento | Director of Curriculum, Data and Exams | ssorrento@cliffparkoa.co.uk |
Form tutors
Your child's form tutor sees them every morning and is the first person to contact about day-to-day matters.