Rachael Norman
Welcome from the Chair of Trustees
I am delighted to present our annual report for 2024/2025. We continue to take our accountability to our stakeholders seriously and strive to ensure that all aspects of provision in our schools are shaped by our vision of improving outcomes, transforming lives and enabling social mobility.
The context for schools within our trust and nationally remains challenging and so we are extremely grateful for the work that you do in supporting our mission, ensuring we are a values driven organisation and enabling our students to maximise their potential academically as well as developing morally, culturally and socially.
As an organisation we continue to set ourselves ambitious goals against which to measure our success. We are reflective and constantly seeking to improve and create a “no excuses culture” across the trust because that is what our children and families deserve and what will improve their life chances.
I must end by thanking our staff, our parents, our volunteers and our governors. Those of you that go the extra mile to support in parents’ associations or to make a strategic input to the work that our schools do. Thank you.
Simon Garill
Welcome from the CEO
This report shows how Orion Education is strengthening outcomes for children and young people, guided by our clear purpose: improving life chances through excellent education.
Schools continue to operate in a challenging environment, with rising expectations and stretched resources. Against that backdrop, I am proud of the progress made across Orion in 2024–25. Secondary outcomes improved, with strong progress at Orion Coopers and Orion Spires. Our primary schools sustained high standards overall and we are delighted that the attainment at some of our primary schools has been commended by the DFE. These results reflect disciplined leadership, consistent teaching and learning, and sustained investment in our staff.
Alongside results, we have focused on building for the future — expanding early years provision, strengthening teacher development through our Teach First partnership, investing in digital infrastructure, and launching the Orion Community Impact Foundation to support families and pupils facing the greatest barriers. We remain financially stable, well governed, and committed to staff wellbeing, because strong systems and supported people create the conditions for strong outcomes.
Thank you to our staff, governors, trustees, partners and families for your trust and commitment. This report reflects how far we have come — and our determination to keep improving.
Student Outcomes
86%
Early years achieve good levels of development (vs. 68% nationally)
31.6
KS5 A Level Average point score (vs. 24.9 in 2019)
43%
KS4 students achieving English and Maths 5+ (vs. 29% in 2019)
KS5 Applied A-Level Average point score (vs. 29.9 nationally ) 34
96% of 16-year-olds progressed to education, employment or training
Investment and Schools
Invested in IT and computing across our schools
£450K
£750K capital funding for schoolbased nurseries, launched in September 2025
5 of 8
schools above national average attendance
Community and Culture
Orion Community Foundation established
staff recommend Orion as a great place to work 61%
All Trust Conference held in 2025 3rd students report feeling happy at school 64%
All our schools rated good by Ofsted
Facts about our Trust
School Location Map
Beckenham Junction
Mottingham
Chislehurst Bromley South
Farnborough
Orpington
Bromley
Orion Scotts Park (2022) Orion Ravensworth (2024)
Orion Blenheim (2025) The Ravensbourne (2024) Orion Coopers (2023)
Orion Spires (2023) Orion Eden Park (2021) Orion Mead Road (2023)
What do Ofsted say about The Trust?
School leaders and trustees have worked effectively together in order to make rapid changes to the school and to raise standards. Staff are well supported with their well-being and workload.
Ravensbourne
The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. It matches and, in some areas, exceeds what is expected nationally. School and trust leaders work effectively together to review the school’s curriculum.
Orion Coopers
The trust provides helpful curriculum training for teachers.
Orion Scotts Park
The trust and the local advisory board of governors regularly check that leaders are taking effective steps to implement positive change.
Orion Spires
The school has thought carefully about how to teach early reading, and the trust provides support through helpful training. The phonics programme is taught daily. If children need additional time to practise, then this is quickly provided.
Orion Ravensworth
Staff value the wealth of opportunities provided by the trust for their professional development, which is a high priority. Staff feel well supported by leaders and appreciate the efforts made to manage their workload.
Mead Road
Staff feel extremely positive about how the trust and school leaders consider their workload and support their well-being.
Orion Blenheim
Leaders are keen to prepare pupils for life beyond school, regardless of their starting points. Pupils benefit from studying a broad range of subjects. They also receive wellplanned careers guidance that shows the wide range of careers available.
Orion Eden Park
Orion
Our Vision and Values
The advantages of being an Orion School
For pupils
• A consistent framework to lessons, consistent expectations in class underpinned by research
• Behaviour and routines that support learning
• A safe and well looked after environment where pupils can thrive
• The opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities
• The right to belong
• Better resources for learning, for those that need a little more help
• A curriculum that is interesting and relevant
For Parents
• Clear accountability and consistent reporting of performance across the schools
• Strategic support that guarantees much more than a safety net for the school
• The guarantee that the schools will be fairly resourced
• A commitment that we aim to make the schools work for their local community
For Teachers
• Competitive pay and conditions
• Professional development and training in an organisation that is receiving national attention for its work in instructional coaching
• A leadership development programme for new and talented leaders
For Leaders and Associate Staff
• Smart systems to reduce workload
• Reducing bureaucracy to focus on what really matters
• Support and challenge from colleagues and experienced Principals with a record of success
• More leadership opportunities across our schools
• A codified model based on research.
• Continuing professional development from high quality facilitators
• Background resources to support with planning and workload
For Schools
• Full Estates support resource and a generous allocation for buildings and high-quality estates
• Contract Management and Procurement (Catering/Cleaning/Printing)
• Full HR and Payroll Support
• Full Governance support and training
• Strategic Support and School Improvement Support
• Quality Assurance Reviews in Safeguarding, SEND and Compliance
• Full Finance Service
7 out of 8 schools have now been rebranded with The Ravensbourne School to follow later this year
Orion Scott's Park
Orion Ravensworth
Orion Mead Road
Orion Blenheim
Orion Education
Orion Scott's Park
Orion Ravensworth
Orion Blenheim
Orion Education
The Ravensbourne Orion Spires
Eden Park
Coopers
The Ravensbourne Orion Spires Orion Eden Park Orion Coopers Orion Education
Attainment 8
The Attainment 8 score is calculated from the sum of 4 elements (or “buckets”) for each pupil:
• English – double weighted – best of English Language or Literature
• Maths – double weighted
• EBacc3 – three highest point scores from any of the EBacc qualifications in science subjects, computer science, history, geography, and languages.
• Other3 / Open3 – the three highest point scores in any three other subjects.
For each KS2 average prior attainment the national average Attainment 8 score is calculated.
The Ravensbourne
Orion Eden Park
Orion Coopers
Orion Education
The Ravensbourne OrionEden Park
Orion Coopers Orion Education
Av.
The Ravensbourne Orion Eden Park Orion Coopers
Orion Education
Nat. Av.
Primary Attendance
Orion Blenheim
Orion Ravensworth
Authorised
Unauth.
Unauth.
Secondary Attendance
Orion Coopers Unauth.
The Orion Education Quality of Education
Primary Key Developments in 2024-25
• A brilliant start for our youngest children: We strengthened our Early Years approach across all primary schools, helping children make great progress and achieve strong results in both Early Years and phonics.
• A writing curriculum children enjoy: We refreshed and improved our writing curriculum so that it feels relevant, exciting, and meaningful for all children — and this led to stronger writing outcomes across the trust.
• Calm, happy learning spaces: All schools improved their learning environments to ensure children feel safe, happy, and ready to learn. These spaces were designed to promote independence, confidence, and a calm atmosphere.
• High‑quality training for our staff: Teachers and support staff benefited from rich professional development, including visits to excellent schools, training from specialists, and coaching from experienced leaders — all helping staff to give children the best possible learning experience.
• New specialist trust leads: We appointed trust-wide leaders for Early Years, Reading, Writing, and Teaching & Learning. These specialists work across all primary schools to support staff and ensure every child receives consistently high-quality teaching.
Secondary Key Developments in 2024-25
• Outcomes have shown marked improvement across the majority of schools.
• Sixth form provision has seen substantial enhancement, with overall increased student enrolment and improved academic outcomes. This progress has opened up a wider range of high-quality post-16 opportunities for our pupils.
• The curriculum has been further enhanced, particularly within EBacc subjects, ensuring a broader and more robust educational experience for pupils.
• The introduction of leadership programmes at middle and senior phases has led to demonstrable improvements in teaching standards and classroom practice.
The Orion Education Lesson Framework
Strong Culture: Warm Strict, Teacher Radar, Track the Speaker, 100%, Do it Again, No Opt Out, Narrate the Positive, Least Invasive Intervention, Economy of Language are expected at every stage.
Rigour: Stretch It, Culture of Error, Format Matters, Right is Right Strong Start
• Greet on threshold
• Check uniform
• Take register
• In silence
• Retrieval practice
• Learning intentions
• Key vocabulary
• Teacher exposition
• Use modeling and exemplar
• Scaffolded model – pair/group/whole class work
• In silence if appropriate and independent
• Live marking and feedback
• Intervention as needed
• Use Learning Intentions to assess – self/teacher/peer
• Tidy up routines
• Threshold and orderly dismissal
Orion Education Transforming Lives
Orion Education in the Community
In 2024–2025, we successfully established the Orion Community Impact Foundation as a charitable organisation dedicated to supporting the students most in need within our schools. Nick Jackman, a parent governor from Orion Scotts Park, kindly agreed to Chair. Initially, the foundation concentrated on developing our nurseries. As these initiatives become more established, our focus will shift to:
• Delivering transformational education programs
• Strengthening family and community engagement
• Driving advocacy and systemic change.
The Trust made a £543k revenue surplus in 24/25 (excluding the fixed asset and pension reserve). As a consequence of this surplus, the Trust’s unrestricted reserves increased from 5.96% of total annual income at the end of 23/24 to 6.73% in 24/25. This increased level provides the Trust with more security going forwards and is in line with the minimum reserves per our reserve policy and that of most other academy trusts our size.
The Trust used the reserves to generate £248,000 additional income through low-risk deposits.
The finance department is committed to ongoing innovation, including the advancement of automation processes. Each enhancement is carefully evaluated to ensure it supports staff in performing their duties with greater efficiency and effectiveness, ultimately enabling the allocation of additional resources to classroom initiatives.
Estates
An advantage of belonging to a multi academy trust is the School Condition Allocation (SCA) funding we receive. The money that we are allocated is for capital expenditure and can be used on:
Priority Examples of Schemes
Safe Structural defects, hot water issues, suitable fire alarm systems, fire compartmentation issues
Dry Leaking roofs, replacement of 30 year old flat roofs
Warm Replacement of heating systems
Sustainable Installation of LED lighting and solar panels
Environment Create quality professional environments for staff and students
Estates
Building condition surveys were carried in the Spring of 2023, these reports support us in creating a robust 5-year strategic estates management plan. We use a construction consultant specialist who then support us on where and how to spend the money across the estate. This is prioritised on need and for the period 2025/26 the trust invested just over 1.7m as follows. School
At Orion Education, continued investment in our estates is a key priority. Our programme of works includes major projects such as roof replacements, fire safety improvements, upgrades to learning and staff environments, fencing renewals, and a growing portfolio of sustainability-focused initiatives. These projects support our commitment to reducing carbon emissions, improving energy efficiency, and creating more resilient, future-ready buildings. Alongside these larger initiatives, we also deliver a wide range of minor works across our estates to further enhance safety, functionality, and the overall learning environment.
The Ravensbourne School
Orion Spires
Orion Eden Park
Orion Coopers
Orion Scotts Park Primar y School
Orion Ravenswort h
Orion Mead Roa d
Orion Blenhiem
Our People
Instructional coaching remains our core model for CPD for teachers and we are continuously developing our associate staff. We are continuing to implement and embed our wellbeing strategy and have trained mental health first aiders in all Schools. Following the achievement of the Workplace Wellbeing Charter accreditation award in February 2025 we are looking at further training for managers and staff in this area. We continue to harness our staff survey results to drive cultural change and address issues. We shall be developing a refreshed People Strategy to align with the organisational strategy in development.
Our top three KPIs:
Employee net promotor score (eNPS): -32 which indicates that there are less promoters than detractors in Orion Education.
Turnover was at 17% across the Trust, we have supplemented exit questionnaires with interviews to understand reasons for leaving.
Employee absence: Total number of working days lost was c4000 .We continue to implement our absence management policy with greater rigour and supporting staff through occupational health referrals to return to work with adjustments in place.
Professional Growth
Orion is dedicated to high‑quality professional development, offering fortnightly coaching sessions with expert practitioners. Four of our schools serve as nationally recognised Steplab coaching hubs, training leaders on effective instructional coaching.
Data-driven instruction
We use a data-driven approach to improve pupil outcomes, especially for vulnerable students. Our Twilight CPD emphasises understanding checks and adaptive teaching, while INSET days focus on using class data to plan interventions.
Golden Thread – from ITT to ECT to NPQ
Alongside partner programmes and national qualifications, we support new teachers and leaders through the Early Careers Programme and National Professional Qualifications. In 2024/2025, we launched Inspire to identify and develop future school leaders.
Sustainability
Over the past year, we have continued to build on our Trust’s sustainability strategy, alongside the implementation of individual sustainability plans within our schools. This aligns with the Department for Education’s requirement for all schools to have a Climate Action Plan in place by the end of 2025.
Significant progress has also been made in exploring renewable energy solutions. Solar panel feasibility surveys have been conducted across all our estates, leading to the development of a four year plan for installation. The first phase began in summer 2025, with Orion Scotts Park and Orion Blenheim having solar panels installed this was funded through the School Condition Allocation. The Ravensbourne school will have solar panels installed in the summer of 2026.
Additionally, we have secured funding to assess the design and cost implications of installing ground and air source heat pumps at two schools, as part of our effort to transition away from fossil fuel-based heating systems. However, despite the availability of a government matching scheme, the financial investment required remains prohibitive at this time. We will continue to review this annually, ensuring that we invest at the right time as costs become more viable.
Our commitment to sustainability remains a priority, and we will continue to seek opportunities to reduce our environmental impact while supporting the long-term sustainability of our schools.
Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Following the launch of DEI work at the staff conference in October 2022, we continue to work on this important area, aiming to “Develop our consciousness, confidence and competence in DEI.” The table below sets out our progress by principle:
Principle
Creating inclusive workplaces
Creating belonging for all
Building representation in the curriculum
Ensuring that policies, processes, practices are inclusive and equitable
Recruiting, developing & retaining diverse talent
Committing to CPD for staff
Listening to stakeholder views
Using data to inform the strategy
Summary of progress
75% of staff felt that the schools were committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion
77% of staff gave a positive response when asked whether their workplace was inclusive of different backgrounds, identities and needs
We have created a DEI framework for reviewing the curriculum. This is used as teachers rewrite schemes of learning as part of their normal life cycle.
Policies are reviewed annually and consulted upon with unions.
We reviewed our approach to recruitment and selection and will report data on this in the future.
A new round of training will start in 25/26
We do this through the Edurio staff, pupil and parent surveys.
We collated data on staff and pupils for the first time in May 2023 and this is now an annual process.
orionmeadroad.org.uk
orionspires.org.uk
orionravensworth.org.uk
ravensbourne.info
orionscottspark.org.uk
orionedenpark.org.uk