Oakwood Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

There has been much change in the school since the last inspection.

The new leadership team is ambitious and determined for all pupils at Oakwood to learn well. Pupils are starting to benefit from these improvements. This view is echoed by many parents and carers.

Nevertheless, the school is realistic that there is still work to do to restore the school's standing in the community.

Pupils are polite to each other most of the time. In some lessons, pupils' behaviours are not effective for learning.

When this happens, pupils' learning is disrupted. Furthermore, some pupils hold an unwavering view that there are pockets of bullying in the school. They s...ay that when staff are made aware of these incidents, they are dealt with well.

Despite these weaknesses, pupils are safe and most enjoy school.

Pupils appreciate the many opportunities that they have beyond the academic. They recall memorable experiences of camps and trips with enthusiasm.

Pupils have access to a wide range of extra-curricular clubs. They appreciate the opportunities that they have to contribute to school life, such as being a 'happy mind leader' or a 'well-being champion'. However, not all pupils have a strong enough understanding of British society.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In 2023 and 2024, outcomes were much lower than the national average in several areas. After a period of instability and decline in standards, the trust took decisive action. Trust leaders overhauled the curriculum and staffing structure.

The new leadership team has galvanised staff. Its members have created an ambitious vision for the school. Morale is high.

This was not always the case. A typical staff comment, which summed up the views of many, was: 'I now feel that we are going in the right direction.' This view was echoed by several parents.

The school is now stable and there is a palpable determination on the part of all staff to bring about further improvements.

The new curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. The curriculum content is coherent and builds pupils' knowledge from the early years to Year 6.

The school has ensured that the curriculum better meets the needs of pupils. However, it is too early to see any discernible impact. Furthermore, assessment is not as precise as it needs to be.

Checks on what pupils know and remember, before moving on, are not well thought out. Consequently, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. In addition, teachers do not always use what they know about pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well enough.

Adaptations of the curriculum for these pupils are not always effective. This leads to activities being either too challenging or too easy. Consequently, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

The early reading curriculum lacks rigour. It is not implemented consistently well. Pupils learn to read as soon as they begin school.

However, some children in the early years have not secured the appropriate learning behaviours to be ready to read. This leads to children not fully engaging in their phonics learning. Some pupils who are catching up do not have books that match their ability.

This hampers their potential to be able to read confidently and fluently. Older pupils enjoy reading. They talk passionately about the books they read.

Leaders have made recent changes to the library to make it more accessible. Pupils appreciate these changes and the wide range of books on offer.

Pupils typically behave well in lessons.

However, some staff have low expectations of pupils' behaviour. As a result, low-level disruption occurs. This disrupts learning and slows pupils' progress.

Pupils feel that behaviour at social times is particularly challenging. They say that older pupils often use disrespectful language and fall out with each other. However, when pupils struggle to regulate their behaviour, staff support them effectively.

Pupils' attendance is a concern. Too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. The school has recently introduced systems to improve pupils' attendance.

The school works closely with families to help get their children to school every day and on time. However, a large number of disadvantaged pupils still miss too much time in school.

Pupils have limited opportunities to be an active presence in their wider community.

The school recognises this and has plans in place to strengthen pupils' possibilities. Although pupils have some understanding of fundamental British values, they are not secure in understanding diversity in society.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The trust has made recent changes to most of the curriculum. It is not clear how these changes are strengthening pupils' knowledge and understanding. For example, assessment is not fully developed in some subjects.

Systems for checking what pupils know and remember are not precise enough. This leads to some pupils having gaps in their knowledge. The trust must ensure that the changes to the curriculum are having a positive impact on pupils' outcomes.

• The phonics programme is not implemented effectively. This means that too many pupils are not learning phonics well. Books are not consistently well matched to pupils' phonics knowledge.

The trust must strengthen the precision and consistency of the implementation of the phonics programme, so that all pupils can read fluently and with confidence. ? Some pupils with SEND do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. This is because curriculum activities are not adapted well enough to meet their needs.

The trust must ensure that staff use what they know about pupils with SEND so that these pupils can access the curriculum fully and achieve well. ? Pupils' behaviour in lessons, including in the early years and at social times, is not always positive. Low-level disruption is tolerated in some classes.

This hinders pupils' learning. The trust needs to ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of pupils' behaviour and conduct so that all pupils can learn well without interruptions and enjoy their social times. ? Pupils' attendance remains stubbornly low, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

As a result, these pupils miss out on important learning. This is leading to gaps in pupils' knowledge of the curriculum. The school should continue to work closely with families and external agencies to ensure that pupils' attendance improves and persistent absence reduces rapidly.

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