The Oak View Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Caring relationships form the foundation of this school. Staff are dedicated to helping pupils to develop a strong sense of community and belonging.

Pupils are well supported emotionally and academically. They are celebrated as individuals. This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to feel happy.

The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. Many pupils achieve these aspirations and achieve well. They enjoy learning.

Pupils are attentive during lessons and they follow instructions carefully. Pupils are sensible and quiet as they move around the school, showing respect for others.

Pupils ...across school learn about different types of emotions and how to manage their feelings effectively.

Staff speak calmly and kindly to pupils. As a result, pupils feel assured that they can speak to trusted members of staff if they have any concerns.

The school places a high priority on pupils' learning beyond the academic curriculum.

Older pupils take part in a residential trip and younger pupils visit the local nature park. Pupils enjoy friendly interactions across school. For example, in their role as play leaders, older pupils organise activities for younger pupils.

Ambassadors celebrate other pupils' personal and academic achievement through recognition awards.

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

The school has designed an aspirational curriculum from the Nursery Year to Year 6. This includes those children who access the two-year-old provision.

In the main, subject-specific content is logically ordered to enable pupils, including those with SEND, to know and remember more over time.

Teachers deliver lessons following a consistent order. This order enables pupils to revisit prior learning before they are introduced to new information.

Most pupils build subject knowledge securely. The school provides staff with a thorough programme of training to further their knowledge and expertise. However, in some subjects, staff have not received the subject-specific training that they need to help them teach some aspects of these curriculums.

This makes it difficult for them to design learning that helps pupils to learn the full curriculum. It also means that a small number of pupils develop some misconceptions in their learning.

The school uses assessment information to understand how well pupils are learning the curriculum and to make any necessary adjustments to the subject content.

Teachers carry out checks on pupils' learning. In most instances, this enables them to quickly address any misconceptions in pupils' understanding by making adaptations to their teaching. However, in a small number of subjects, pupils still carry some misunderstandings.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. The school ensures that pupils read a broad range of books during lessons and individual reading time. Reading ambassadors foster a love of reading by acting as positive role models.

They provide book recommendations and give awards to other pupils who read frequently.

Children in the Nursery Year, including those who are two years old, learn essential skills that prepare them well for learning to read. For example, they learn to hear sounds and practise rhyming patterns.

Children start to learn the phonics curriculum from the beginning of the Reception Year. The phonics programme is delivered effectively by skilled staff. Pupils read from books that contain the sounds that they have already learned.

The school provides additional practice for pupils who need it. As a result, most pupils develop into fluent, confident readers in readiness for key stage 2.

The school quickly identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

Staff support these pupils effectively. For example, they use appropriate strategies provided by external professionals to enable pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum. Typically, pupils with SEND learn well.

The school prioritises pupils' levels of attendance. It works effectively with families to support them in improving pupils' attendance. The school takes swift action if there are any concerns regarding pupils' attendance.

For the most part, pupils work well together throughout school. In the early years, clear routines help children to develop their independence skills. Pupils said that they enjoy positive recognition for following the school rules.

The school provides pupils with a range of opportunities to hold responsibilities and contribute to the school community. For example, pupils act as safety officers and anti-bullying ambassadors. Pupils learn about a range of cultures and religions beyond their own experiences.

The school invites people into school, such as authors, to share their experiences with pupils. Pupils take part in school clubs and many spoke excitedly about a regional music concert that they had recently performed at.

The trust works closely with the local governing board to support and challenge the school effectively on the quality of education that it provides.

Staff feel valued and they take pride in being part of the school community. They appreciate the time that they are given to work collaboratively in school and across the trust when any changes are introduced.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, the activities that teachers choose to deliver the curriculum do not help pupils learn the curriculum as well as they could. As a result, some pupils carry misconceptions in their knowledge. The school should ensure that it enables staff to gain the subject knowledge that they need to deliver all aspects of the curriculum.