Oasis Academy Mayfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils across the school demonstrate the school's values of being proud, kind and determined. They are taught what these values mean and how to behave in line with them. This forms part of the school's high expectations for pupils and most pupils live up to these expectations very well.

Lessons are very rarely disrupted by poor behaviour, and pupils are motivated to work hard.

Pupils benefit from a new, ambitious curriculum. Although they have not achieved as highly as they could have done in the past, pupils are now making good progress through the curriculum.

Pupils can discuss what they have learned with confidence, and they produce high-quality work. Pupi...ls with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported in lessons and take advantage of everything the school offers.

The school provides pupils with many well-planned experiences to enrich their lives and broaden their horizons.

The school also plays a strong role in the wider community through the Oasis Community Hub. This performs an important role in supporting the school's most disadvantaged pupils and helping them to succeed.

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

The school's curriculum is broad and balanced with a good range of subjects for pupils.

Recent changes to the curriculum put the English Baccalaureate at its heart and almost all pupils now take the subjects that make this up. The trust's curriculum has been well adapted to meet the local context. There is also effective identification of gaps in pupils' knowledge and teachers work together to change up-coming lessons so that these gaps are filled.

This approach is helping pupils to achieve more highly than they have in the past.

Pupils who struggle to read are very well supported. Their needs are quickly identified and there is then a range of help put in place to help meet those needs.

This is helping pupils to read with confidence. There is a similar strength in the approach to providing pupils with SEND with a rapid diagnosis of any barriers to learning. Effective adjustments are then made in the classroom.

In most lessons, teaching is very strong. Pupils are taught routines for learning that are usually used well. However, there is some inconsistency in how well these approaches to teaching are used.

At times, the purpose behind the practice has not been fully understood. When this is the case, time in lessons is used less well.

Pupils' behaviour around the school and in lessons is usually very good.

When pupils struggle to behave, there is support put in place to help them to get it right in the future. Most pupils also demonstrate very positive attitudes towards their learning. They are motivated to do well and act accordingly.

However, the attendance of some pupils is too low, and this is affecting their achievement. The school is already taking effective action to reduce the levels of absence but there is still more to do to ensure that all pupils attend school as often as possible.

There is a very well-planned programme for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.

This includes an especially strong package of careers education. The school has carefully considered how to raise aspiration by showing pupils not only what careers are available for them but by them providing bespoke help in understanding how to achieve their goals. Disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, are especially well supported with this.

The PSHE curriculum also gives pupils many opportunities to learn about, and reflect on, different cultures and faiths.

The trust provides highly effective support to the school. This includes in helping to support teacher workload and well-being and through an excellent programme of ongoing professional development.

This frees up teachers to concentrate their time on those activities that will be of greatest benefit to their pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The teaching of the curriculum is not consistently strong.

This is because, sometimes, the purpose behind an activity has not been fully understood. As a result, time in lessons is not used as well as it could be. The school needs to ensure that all staff fully understand the methods of teaching that they are adopting.

• Too many pupils do not attend school as often as they should. This means that these pupils are not achieving as highly as they could do. The school needs to continue their work to reduce the persistent absence of these pupils.