The Victory Scholars (HPA)

Our Mission

At Ormiston Victory Academy we are committed to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to make outstanding progress. The Victory Scholars programme at Ormiston Victory Academy aims to support the most able students (HPA) in doing this. We provide opportunities for students to take part in a number of activities and trips that aim to inspire our most able students. We aim to personalise our Victory Scholars programme to fit the specific needs of our students and give them opportunities catered to their individual needs. We work with all of our students to make sure they have access to the challenging activities and tasks to develop and demonstrate their skills in all subject areas.

During these difficult times, we still regard our commitment to HPA students as important as in ‘normal’ times. Weekly online HAP challenges, poetry workshops, journalism and creative writing for publication in the academy newspaper, the Victory Bugle and supporting applications to university programmes for KS3 to KS5 are some of the initiatives we offer.

HPA at Victory

Every subject area is involved in the provision of activities, trips, challenges, and events for our HPA students. All students are given the opportunity to participate in a range of challenges that the academy offers. Those who excel in a number of areas are offered rewards trips or celebrations at the end of the year. Students are also encouraged to enter a range of national competitions in all fields including Maths, Science, and English.

We have strong links with the University of East Anglia and Cambridge University, leading to residentials, mentoring, campus tours, and lectures. At Ormiston Victory Academy we encourage students to consider university as an option, and support them fully in their applications, but we also recognise there are a broad range of possible paths and we do our best to make sure each student has high aspirations to get to exactly where they want to be.

Key Stage 3

At Ormiston Victory Academy we consider the provision for Key Stage 3 (Year 7 and 8) HPA as a vital part of the students’ progression into KS4 and further.  Challenging and enriching their time with us is important, but rewarding outstanding contributions are also part of our strategy.  Departments offer high-level challenge booklets and tasks for advanced independent work, which are rewarded with departmental enrichment activities.  We also work with the UEA and various external experts to deliver programmes of extra-curricular projects in the Arts and Humanities that prepare the students for university-style research projects. 

We believe that to be a success at KS4, students need to be enriched and supported as individuals at KS3. From this year we are adding a bespoke HPA Advocates Programme which aims to support those that need extra help to achieve their goals as HPA students. There is a strong emphasis on challenges being independent and voluntary to promote a sense of pride and accomplishment in the activities we offer.  Ultimately, our aim for Key Stage 3 is to promote a love of learning to enable our students to carry their passions throughout their time in education both here at the academy and beyond. 

In Lessons

Provision for the most able is a key focus across the entire school. Each lesson has at least one exceptionally challenging objective to make sure every student is stretched and given the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills. Targets are set high and we encourage students to develop independent ways of learning to reach them. Teachers strive to make the curriculum relevant to the real-world wherever possible and make lessons engaging for a wide range of abilities, including those at the very top.
To support a positive engagement with learning, there is a Victory Scholars Google Classroom that all Victory Scholars have access to, where our staff post interesting news, activities, and links to things we have found in the subjects we are passionate about.

Advocates Programme

While most HPA students at Victory consistently perform well and reach or exceed their expectations, we know that there are some who need extra support to progress and accomplish the targets that their HPA status demands. We know that every child is different and has needs and strengths that must be acknowledged. As part of our ongoing commitment to reaching out to all HPA students, we have initiated the Advocates Programme where dedicated adults work on a one-to-one basis with those who need extra support to progress. The focus is to advocate and celebrate the student’s successes while giving them the tools and supported targets with which to manage their time, workload and wellbeing during their time here at the academy and beyond.

Getting in contact

If you have any enquiries about HPA at Ormiston Victory Academy, Mr Todd the HPA Lead can be contacted directly at [email protected] or by phone on 01603 742310. You can keep up-to-date with all latest HPA news through our Twitter feed.