Ormiston Chadwick Academy

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Ormiston Chadwick Academy is a coeducational secondary school with academy status in Widnes, Cheshire, England. It teaches pupils aged 11 to 16. The current principal is Jennifer Lowry-Johnson. About 948 students attend the school, which has a capacity of 976. The motto is Age Quod Agis, meaning “Do what you are doing.”

History
The school began in September 1958 as Bankfield School, a small secondary modern. It became a comprehensive school in 1974. In the 1980s, pupil numbers fell and the school nearly closed. In January 1990, after a local campaign, Bankfield became a grant-maintained school. In 1997 it joined Halton Borough Council’s network of schools. In 2004, Bankfield was designated a specialist Science College and worked with the Catalyst Museum and Science Discovery Centre plus 16 sponsors. In 2010 it was judged Outstanding by Ofsted and gained a second specialism in Applied Learning, becoming a Gifted & Talented Lead School.

In April 2013, Ofsted said the school needed improvement, and inspections showed standards slipping. In January 2013 the school was placed in special measures after an October Ofsted report. An interim executive board was put in place to lead the improvement, with John Rigby as interim executive headteacher. On 1 September 2014 the school re-opened as Ormiston Chadwick Academy. It is now sponsored by Ormiston Academies Trust and is paired with Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy in Runcorn.

Houses
The school uses houses named after notable figures: Ellie Simmonds, Stephen Sutton, Malala Yousafzai and Tim Parry.

Website
ormistonchadwickacademy.co.uk