Oasis Academy Skinner Street

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils really enjoy coming to this warm and inclusive school.

They are confident that staff care about them and will keep them safe. Pupils value every member of their school community, telling inspectors that, 'We treat each other equally, we are all people.'

Pupils understand the high expectations that staff now have of their behaviour.

Pupils are quiet and focused on their lessons and move around the school calmly and safely. One pupil told inspectors that at lunchtime, 'You use a knife and fork and be polite and do it properly, like in a restaurant.' Pupils appreciate the polite and respectful way that staff speak with them and say this makes them want t...o be polite too.

Pupils told inspectors that bullying very rarely happens at their school.

Pupils get involved with their learning and enjoy their lessons. They are rightly proud of the work that they produce.

Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about the clubs and school trips that were on offer prior to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and are looking forward to these restarting this academic year.

Parents, including those whose children had joined the school recently, told inspectors that they felt very welcomed within the school community.

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

Since her appointment in September 2019, the headteacher, with support from the multi-academy trust, has set about transforming the school.

She is determined to create a learning environment in which all pupils can thrive and succeed.

A new curriculum for each subject has recently been implemented, alongside a new curriculum for early years. The curriculum has been planned and sequenced very carefully.

As a result, pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are acquiring the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed in later life. Although pupils had only recently started on the new curriculum, they were able to explain to inspectors what they had learned since the start of this academic year.

Children in Reception thoroughly engage in the stories, rhymes and poems that adults share with them.

Staff support children to manage their emotions and to develop a positive sense of self, right from the start. In all year groups, staff are carefully assessing pupils' learning, particularly in phonics and mathematics, to ensure the precise next steps in learning are planned for.

The teaching of reading is well prioritised within the school.

Leaders have implemented a rigorous and systematic phonics programme. Staff are well trained and have the expertise that they need to teach all pupils to read. Staff read high-quality texts to pupils on a daily basis to help them develop their love of reading.

In the past, reading has not been as well prioritised. Too many older pupils have not learned to read at an age-appropriate level. This means that some pupils do not benefit from the exciting curriculum in all subjects.

It also means that these pupils have not experienced a sufficient range of reading to develop their own reading preferences and to become lifelong readers. Staff are working to address this, using a range of well-considered strategies. Catch-up plans have been slowed by the pandemic, which continues to have an impact on staffing levels within the school.

Pupils' behaviour has improved dramatically, with clear and firm expectations for how pupils will behave at school. Staff have the training needed to support pupils who have experienced difficulties early in their lives. Consequently, all pupils are now able to learn in a calm, safe and happy environment.

Leaders have continued to take appropriate and effective action, in the context of the pandemic, when they have concerns about the attendance of any pupil.

To support their personal development and prepare them for life in modern Britain, pupils are taught nine key habits. Pupils, including pupils who are new to the school, understand these well.

One pupil told inspectors, 'The nine habits are a role model to us, not for just in school, but for being an adult.' The multi-academy trust leaders are resolute in their vision for this school as a beacon of hope within the local community. Their aim is for pupils attending Oasis Academy Skinner Street to receive an exceptional education that addresses social disadvantage.

Trust and school leaders have designed and implemented a learning programme for pupils that is both academically rigorous and supportive of pupils' wider personal development. The trust has also worked successfully to support school leaders to address behaviour and attendance within the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that all staff are trained to identify pupils in need of early help and who are at risk of harm or being harmed. In addition, staff are trained well to support pupils who have experienced trauma. Staff understand how pupils' experiences affect their emotions and behaviour.

Leaders are meticulous in recording and tracking any concerns about a pupil. This means that they build up a clear and detailed picture for every pupil they are worried about.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Historic weaknesses in the early reading programme have been compounded by the pandemic.

This means that too many older pupils are not yet able to read at an age-appropriate standard. There is a catch-up programme in place for these pupils. However, leaders must ensure that the programme is implemented rigorously and consistently over time so that these pupils make sufficient progress to meet or exceed age-related expectations.