Oasis Academy Wintringham

Oasis Academy Wintringham Weelsby Avenue, Grimsby, DN32 0AZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Attainment and progress in English and science are not good enough.  The proportion of students making more than expected progress in English and mathematics is too low.  Teaching over time has not been good enough to ensure that students achieve well in all subjects. Teachers do not always use data about students effectively to plan their lessons.  Too little was done to robustly address the areas for improvement in the twelve months following the last inspection.  New policies and procedures introduced by senior leaders are not fully embedded and are not used consistently.  In some subjects marking and feedback do not provide useful advice for students to know what to do to improve.  Students’ attitudes to learning are not positive enough to support them to make good progress.  The work of teaching assistants in helping students make good progress is variable.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new principal, who started in September 2013, has a clear vision and high expectations which are communicated to staff and students. His leadership is good.  Leaders at all levels are taking appropriate steps to improve achievement and teaching. The academy is improving.  The vice-principals have been empowered to lead and are driving improvement across the academy.  Middle leaders are becoming more effective.  Since September 2013 the tracking and analysis of students’ progress and teaching and learning have improved.  There is some very good and outstanding practice in a range of subjects in the academy, particularly in mathematics.  The progress of pupil premium students in mathematics is above the national average.  The ‘Connect’ classes provide excellent support for students in Year 7 and Year 8 who need extra help. These students are making good progress.  The students work in harmony and behave well

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The school has the following strengths

around the academy.  The Academy Council and the sponsor are providing better challenge to leaders.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 35 lessons, including six joint observations with senior leaders. A visit was made to the ‘Satellite Centre’, the academy’s unit for students with behavioural issues.  Nick Hudson, the Regional Director for the North East Yorkshire and Humber region of Ofsted accompanied the inspection team on the first day of the inspection. He carried out eight joint lesson observations with members of the inspection team.  Meetings were held with the principal, other senior leaders, staff, students, the Chair of the Academy Council, a representative of the sponsor and representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents provided by the academy including the action plan; safeguarding records and those relating to students’ attendance and behaviour; data about attainment and achievement; records of monitoring teaching and learning; performance management information and minutes of the Academy Council.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of 16 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the academy’s own parental survey.  During this inspection, inspectors asked additional questions designed to ascertain the academy’s view of the impact and effectiveness of local authority services to support academy improvement. This information will contribute to work being carried out by Ofsted to assess the use, quality and impact of those services.

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Inspection team

Helen Lane, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Johan MacKinnon Additional Inspector Barbara Waugh Additional Inspector Patrick Hargreaves Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The Oasis Academy Wintringham is smaller than the average sized secondary school.  The academy opened in 2007 and is part of the Oasis Learning Community.  The vast majority of students are White British; English is their first language.  The proportion of students supported by school action is almost five times the national average and those supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is nearly twice the national average.  The proportion of students eligible for pupil premium is much higher than the national average. This funding is allocated to schools to support students known to be eligible for free school meals, those who are looked after by the local authority and those who have a parent serving with the armed forces.  The academy has its own off-site centre for students with behavioural issues, the ‘Satellite Centre’.  A very small number of students in Year 11 study at Western Study Plus and DKM. These are

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Information about this school

centres which provide alternative learning opportunities run by the local authority.  The academy has close links with Grimsby Town football club’s apprenticeship scheme.  The academy’s results in 2013 did not meet the current government floor standards which are the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of students at the end of Year 11.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality and consistency of teaching and learning to ensure that all students make good progress by: - sharing the good practice and high expectations of what students can achieve, which already exist in the academy, particularly in mathematics - ensuring that teachers use data to plan lessons which include challenging activities for all groups of students - improving marking and feedback so students are provided with opportunities to use feedback to improve their progress - engaging students in learning more to improve their attitudes to learning and enable them to make better progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the attainment and progress in English and science.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the role of teaching assistants so they always promote good progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the effectiveness of middle leadership and management by embedding the new policies and practice to ensure that students make at least good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 From very low starting points students’ attainment and progress in mathematics are broadly in line with national averages and have improved for the last three years. However, in 2013 students did not attain highly enough in their GCSE examinations in English or science. Too few students make more than expected progress in the academy.  In 2013 the value-added progress score for students’ best eight examination results including English and mathematics was significantly higher than the national average.  The academy’s own data show that the current Year 11 are making progress in mathematics at least in line with national averages, and the attainment and progress in English demonstrate an improving picture compared to that of last year. The proportion of students making the expected progress in Year 10 English and mathematics is above the national median and in Year 9 in line with the national median. The proportion of students making more than expected progress is still

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

too low.  In 2013 the attainment and progress of the most able was in line with national averages in both English and mathematics. A group of more-able students in the current Year 11 was entered early for mathematics in November 2013 and all made at least expected progress. They are now studying further mathematics and statistics.  The achievement of disabled students and those with special educational needs is improving. The academy’s data for Year 11 show that their current attainment is above national averages. Progress of Year 7 and Year 8 students in the ‘Connect’ classes is accelerated by learning in a primary environment with teaching which boosts their literacy and numeracy skills.  Students make good progress at the ‘Satellite Centre’ where small-group and one-to-one teaching is having a positive impact on the students’ learning. Progress is less good in the alternative provision used by the academy because of the range of courses provided. The

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

academy is helping the providers address this by providing academic support for GCSE qualifications.  Funding for pupil premium, and the Year 7 catch-up money are used to provide a very wide range of additional support, including programmes to improve reading, spelling, mathematics, self-esteem and health and well-being. Reading ages and spelling of Year 7 and Year 8 students are improving as a result of a variety of reading schemes.  The attainment of students in receipt of pupil premium was approximately one grade below that of other students in the academy in both English and mathematics in 2012 and 2013. However, in 2013 pupil premium students attained mathematics results which were better than the national average and made significantly better progress in their mathematics GCSE examinations than students nationally. The attainment and progress of pupil premium students in English in 2013 was below the national average. The academy’s data show that this gap is closing. The

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

academy is working hard to ensure that there are equal opportunities for all students and that discrimination is being tackled.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching over time has not been effective enough to ensure that all students make good progress. Although there is good and outstanding teaching across a range of subjects in the academy, this good practice is not consistent.  Teachers are becoming more effective in assessing students’ progress and the vice-principal is monitoring and evaluating progress data more robustly. However, teachers do not consistently use their knowledge of students’ current attainment to plan lessons which challenge and interest all groups of students, including the most able. In lessons where learning is carefully linked to the students’ target grades, students know what to do in order to reach their targets and make good progress. This was particularly effective in the English, and Year 11, lessons observed. Students who were interviewed said they enjoyed their mathematics lessons because they were always pushed to do better and set their own challenging targets. This practice is proving to be

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

effective as the proportion of students making expected progress in mathematics is rising.  When teachers use their very good subject knowledge to plan engaging activities these deepen students’ knowledge and understanding. Students think, and assess their understanding when they have to answer probing questions. For example in a Year 7 art lesson about Lichtenstein the students were encouraged to elaborate and expand on their answers which helped them to make outstanding progress.  The academy has excellent resources which are used well by teachers. Students spoke about how much they valued the resources, especially for physical education.  Homework (home learning) is set regularly in some subject areas, but this is not consistent.  Marking and feedback do not always inform students what they have done well and rarely provide the next steps for students which then require them to respond to feedback. In

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

mathematics marking is regular, and personalised, with students and teachers identifying next steps. Students respond to feedback by correcting answers or trying more difficult problems.  In some lessons teaching assistants provide effective support and challenge for students, boosting the progress of, and encouraging students with disabilities and special educational needs. However, sometimes lesson-planning does not give suitable opportunities for teaching assistants to provide effective support to improve the progress made by these students.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Although behaviour around the academy is good, attitudes to learning do not help the students to make rapid progress in a significant minority of lessons.  Year 7 and Year 8 students say their learning is occasionally disrupted by others. However, older students say behaviour has improved since the new principal started and that the senior leaders are visible, and deal with incidents of poor behaviour quickly.  The academy’s work to keep the students safe and secure is good. All statutory requirements for safeguarding are in place and training for child protection is comprehensive and up to date.  Students feel safe. They say there is almost no bullying of any kind and when it does happen they can talk to ‘bully buddies’ -members of their peer group who can help or refer problems to teachers. Students have a good understanding of all types of bullying, including homophobic bullying. Students receive regular information about cyber-bullying from assemblies and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

information technology lessons.  Students are proud of their academy and look exceptionally smart in their uniform. Pride in the presentation of their work is more variable.  A strong feature of good behaviour is the way that students of all ages work well together. This was particularly evident in the ‘compulsory enrichment’ time when students choose from a wide menu of activities which they do in mixed-year groups. The ‘Satellite Centre’ is effective in responding to students with challenging behaviour, some of whom are being reintegrated into the academy.  Attendance has improved, although it is still slightly below national averages, and the academy has had a demonstrable impact on improving punctuality.  Exclusions are high and increasing. This is a as a result of higher expectations from the new principal. Repeat exclusions are reducing.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new principal is robustly addressing the areas for improvement in the academy. Improvement is planned carefully and key to the success is the empowerment of senior leaders who are now being held accountable for their areas of work and being given opportunities to make strategic decisions. The leadership of the new principal is a strength. Strong self- evaluation and high levels of integrity are key features of his leadership.  The vice-principal provides strong leadership for teaching and learning. Monitoring and evaluation is more rigorous. The judgements of senior and middle leaders have been validated by external consultants. During this inspection there was good agreement about the judgements for teaching and learning during joint observations. Teachers whose practice is not good are provided with individual support to improve. The professional development programme is linked to the teachers’ and academy’s areas for improvement and regularly reviewed to ensure that it

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The leadership and management requires improvement

meets the needs of staff. The strategies for improvement show early impact, but are not fully embedded.  There is now a robust performance management process in place. Targets are linked to the Teachers’ Standards and include targets closely linked to student progress. There is now a clear link between pay progression and student outcomes. This is monitored by the sponsor.  Middle leadership is improving. The middle leaders are actively engaged in monitoring and evaluating their own areas and holding others to account. They are expected to provide reports to evaluate their monitoring and evaluation. The response to this is not consistent, but there is extensive training in place to develop middle leaders which is appreciated.  The curriculum meets the needs of the students. It is changing so the current Year 8 has a wider range of option choices. Year 8 students say they are happy with the range of options available.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Independent advice and careers guidance (IAG) is a strength of the academy which holds a gold award for IAG. This results in very high levels of employment and education amongst students leaving the academy.  Both the compulsory and optional extension sessions provided by the academy offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities including sports, art, drama, music, chess and bingo. Students value the opportunity to choose their own activities which provide strong social opportunities. Spiritual, moral and cultural activities are evident in some lessons. For example, in Year 9 English students discussed a speech given by Martin Luther King with great empathy and maturity. The academy has links with schools in Bangladesh and South Africa and has been involved in a recent multicultural event for Oasis Academies. Cultural diversity is well understood by students who know it is considered in geography, religious studies and personal social and health

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The leadership and management requires improvement

education lessons.  The vice-principal has devised an excellent new database to monitor the impact of spending on pupil premium and the needs of individual students. The funding is spent appropriately on a wide range of academic and social activities. As a result the students are making better progress.  The sponsor works closely with the academy. The regional director for Oasis meets the principal fortnightly and monitors key performance indicators every half term. The regional director agrees that not enough happened to address the areas for improvement prior to the appointment of the new principal. He says the new principal has brought high expectations of what students can achieve.  The local authority has identified the academy as one which is ‘challenged and vulnerable’. Two representatives met with the principal to check that plans for improvement were in place after the 2013 results and were satisfied with the self-evaluation and plans for improvement, as well

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The leadership and management requires improvement

as the monitoring provided by the sponsor.  The governance of the school:  the sponsor has responsibility for many of the aspects traditionally monitored by governors including performance management, budget setting and students’ achievement. These key performance indicators are checked every half term to ensure progress. The sponsor also monitors the impact of pupil premium spending. The budget is sound and being spent strategically by the new principal to improve teaching and raise attainment.  the Academy Council is representative of the local community and has members who bring a range of professional expertise. They are developing their understanding of student progress with training to help them interrogate the academy. They now receive better information from senior leaders which is helping them develop better awareness of what is being done to reward good teachers and tackle underperformance.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 135209 Local authority North East Lincolnshire Inspection number 431644

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 870 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jerry Woolner Headteacher Chris Rolph Date of previous school inspection 26 September 2012 Telephone number 01472 871811 Fax number 01472 276336 Email address oaw.office@oasiswintringham.org guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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