Oasis Academy New Oak

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this nurturing school.

They attend well. Leaders work hard to develop positive relationships with pupils and parents. These positive relationships mean that everyone works together to ensure children are happy and safe.

There is a strong culture of respect in the school. Pupils understand difference and the uniqueness of each other. As a result, inclusion is a strength of the school.

This is reflected in the many opportunities for pupils to interact and learn with one another.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. They have developed a positive culture based on respect, understanding and resolving differences..../>
Pupils say that behaviour is usually good and bullying is rare. They know that all pupils have different needs and understand that this means they learn in different ways.

Pupils benefit from the extensive opportunities to develop within and beyond the curriculum.

The school offers many rich experiences for pupils to develop their interests and talents. Pupils are highly motivated by the reward systems that the school uses. They have lots of meaningful opportunities to take responsibility in the school.

Pupils are keen to use these responsibilities to make the school a safer, cleaner and better place for everyone.

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

Leaders make reading their highest priority. The curriculum is designed around key texts that are carefully chosen to give pupils a wide experience of quality literature.

Pupils enjoy reading a range of books independently. They enjoy listening to stories read to them by adults. Pupils begin learning phonics early in Reception, which quickly gets them off to a successful start.

They learn to read with increasing understanding and fluency. Teachers have good subject knowledge, which means that pupils learn to read well.

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum underpinned by the core values it wants pupils to develop.

Subject knowledge is well organised through lessons and sequences of learning so that pupils know more and remember more over time. However, while the curriculum is coherent across key stages 1 and 2, it is not yet as clear how learning in the early years prepares children to be ready for key stage 1.

Assessment is used well to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge across the curriculum.

For example, this means that in mathematics, pupils do not move on to new content until they have mastered key concepts. This develops their understanding and fluency.

Trust specialists and school leaders support teachers to have good subject knowledge.

Agreed teaching strategies have been introduced across the curriculum. However, not all teachers use these consistently. As a result, some pupils are not able to build their knowledge and skills in some subjects and classes as well as they do in others.

The curriculum is well adapted for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders have identified core knowledge that these pupils need to learn. The teaching of this knowledge is skilfully tailored to individual needs both in the main school and in the specialist resource bases.

Leaders offer exceptional opportunities for the personal development of pupils. The curriculum is focused on developing pupils' strength of character, competence and sense of community. Leaders and pupils share a clear understanding of how to develop the nine habits of character.

As a result, pupils are confident, resilient learners who show mutual respect and tolerance for one another. Pupils make the most of the many extra-curricular opportunities and participate in a wide range of inclusive clubs. The new university project supports pupils to learn about the world of work, and about ways to help others.

Those responsible for governance know the school well. They have ensured an appropriate level of support and challenge for the new, and developing, school leadership team. This is securing high-quality provision for pupils at the school.

Staff feel supported by leaders. They appreciate leaders' pastoral care and professional support. Staff morale is high.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding pupils is prioritised. They work well with external agencies to get the right support for pupils and families.

Recruitment checks are carried out diligently.

Staff know how to keep pupils safe. They know the signs of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Staff follow school systems and policies well. Concerns are shared and acted on effectively and in a timely way.

Pupils feel safe.

There is a well-planned curriculum that teaches them about risk and ways to stay safe. Pupils say that harassment does not happen. They know how to raise a concern or a worry with a trusted adult.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is not clearly linked across all key stages. This means that pupils do not build effectively on prior knowledge from the early years when they start in Year 1. Leaders must ensure that knowledge is well sequenced from the early years onwards so that pupils make consistent progress through the curriculum.

Agreed teaching strategies are not used consistently across the school or the curriculum. This means that pupils do not learn as well in some subjects and classes. Leaders must ensure staff use the most effective teaching strategies so that pupils can know, remember and do more.