Birmingham Ormiston Academy is an independent state-funded 14-19 academy specializing in Creative, Digital, and Performing Arts. BOA is sponsored by Ormiston Trust and Birmingham City University. The academy opened in September 2011 in a brand-new landmark building, located at the hub of the digital and creative industries in the West Midlands. It has superb facilities for academic, vocational, and extra-curricular activities.
BOA is one hundred percent selective based on aptitude within the specialisms and is unique in both its admissions and approach to education. The academy aims to be at the forefront of the development of the arts and creative industries.
Outstanding teaching coupled with constant support and guidance underpins the students' personalized learning experiences. The curriculum is designed to develop the specifically identified talents, gifts, and potential of each student. Performance, production, creativity, and excellence will be at the center of their experiences.
Working in partnership with industry, our programs of study are delivered by both excellent teachers and skilled professionals. Teaching is of the highest quality and students can apply their learning to the world of work.
Encompassing a full range of vocational, traditional, and enrichment courses, our students have the opportunity to individualize their learning pathways. Gaining qualifications accepted by universities or career-specific courses related to areas within the creative industry sector. Together with our founding partners, Maverick TV and the BRIT School, we have numerous creative, business, and industry partners. They offer high levels of support, investment, expertise, and opportunities for both students and the academy.
Although located in the heart of Birmingham, BOA is a regional academy admitting students from Birmingham and the Local Authorities of Coventry, Dudley, Solihull, Sandwell, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. Ten percent of students are also admitted from the wider West Midlands.
Birmingham Ormiston Academy is committed to providing high-quality and distinctive education through a specialist curriculum delivered in outstanding facilities. The academy seeks to attract students from across a range of backgrounds and academic abilities who can demonstrate aptitude in the creative, digital, and performing arts.
Specializing in the arts, we will provide a dynamic and personalized learning pathway for each individual. It is our philosophy to unlock each student’s potential. Through our teaching, partnerships, industry links, pastoral care, and monitoring we aim to foster ambition and a culture of high expectations and standards.
Staff, partners, and students operate in an atmosphere that promotes excellence, celebrates success, and encourages opportunities for risk-taking through which real learning can take place. Students will not only achieve their personal best but exceed all expectations.
As a regional academy of excellence for the teaching of creative, digital, and performing arts, BOA combines the academic and vocational to provide unrivaled opportunities for its students to work alongside industry professionals.
Located at the hub of the creative and digital industries and adjacent to Birmingham City University’s city-center campus, the academy can draw on the experience of our education and industry partners. BOA has already developed a range of joint projects and programs of study with the industries in which students would be likely to find work.
All students will be encouraged to work diligently, develop independence, self-confidence, respect, and awareness of others. Students have a purpose-built, fully supervised learning resource center together with numerous networked and wireless break-out areas to give them effective private study time.
Students will be offered work experience. Placements will be arranged to complement areas related to the chosen pathway. As many of our courses are career specific, meaning the course relates to a specific area of employment or industry within the arts, much of the study is a combination of learning and doing through skills, focused work-related projects, or work experience.
