Oasis Academy Hobmoor

Oasis Academy Hobmoor Wash Lane, Yardley, Birmingham, B25 8FD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The Principal, staff and academy councillors have an aspirational vision for the school. They have ensured it is a happy and rapidly improving place where teaching and achievement are good.  Leaders’ procedures for checking and improving teaching are thorough and effective.  Good teaching motivates pupils of all abilities so they are keen to learn and want do their best.  Children get off to a good start in the early years. They make good progress and achieve well.  Attendance has improved significantly over the last year and is now above average.  Pupils feel safe and well cared for. The school’s work to keep pupils safe is effective. Parents appreciate the care and support provided for their children and themselves.  Pupils behave well and are proud of their school. They are eager to take on responsibilities.  There are good systems for checking pupils’ knowledge, understanding and progress.  Progress is accelerating in English and mathematics,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

particularly in reading.  The standards achieved by all groups of pupils are rising, including those who speak English as an additional language, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and the most-able.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The school reinforces pupils’ understanding of British values well and has established high quality relationships between pupils and adults, and between pupils themselves.  The school makes good use of the training and guidance it can access through the Oasis Community Learning Multi-Academy Trust to support school improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics is not as rapid as it is in reading.  Teachers do not always use their marking to make it clear to pupils how they can improve their writing and mathematics skills, both in these subjects themselves and when pupils apply these skills in their other work.  Teachers do not always check that pupils have responded to the challenges and corrections identified in their marking, so pupils sometimes continue to make the same errors.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their mental calculation skills in problem-solving activities. As a result pupils sometimes struggle to calculate quickly.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 30 lessons, six of which they observed jointly with the Principal or Deputy Principals.  Inspectors held meetings with members of the academy council, the regional director for the Oasis Community Learning Multi-Academy Trust, and with staff who have leadership responsibilities.  Inspectors considered assessment data on pupils’ progress and standards and pupils’ work in books, and listened to pupils from Y1 and Y6 read.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils during lessons as well as during break and lunchtimes. A group of pupils toured the school with an inspector to talk about the activities they engage in at school.  Inspectors took account of the 44 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the views expressed by parents spoken to during the inspection. They also noted the 23 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The team observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including those relating to the

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Information about this inspection

school’s self-evaluation of its own performance, school improvement reports from the Multi-Academy Trust and curriculum planning. They also reviewed other documents relating to safeguarding, child protection, behaviour and attendance, and information about staff performance.  The inspection was part of a focused inspection of academies in the Oasis Community Learning Multi- Academy Trust.

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Inspection team

Alison Cogher, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Oasis Academy Hobmoor is a larger than average sized primary school.  The school became part of the Oasis Community Learning Multi-academy Trust in September 2013.  Provision in the early years takes the form of a part-time Nursery and two full-time Reception classes.  The pupil premium provides support for an above average proportion of disadvantaged pupils. This additional funding is used to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals as well as those in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have a special educational need is above average.  The proportion of pupils from ethnic minority groups is high. Approximately 85% of pupils are of Asian heritage.  Nearly two thirds of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2.

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Information about this school

 The school operates a breakfast club during term time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching in writing and mathematics so that more pupils make rapid progress by making sure teachers:  improve their marking of pupils’ writing and mathematics work, including when pupils use these skills in other subjects, so pupils know what they need to do next to improve  follow up their challenges to pupils and any corrections they have made through their marking, so that the errors pupils have made do not persist  place more emphasis on developing pupils’ mental calculation skills, so they can work out calculations more quickly and accurately  increase the opportunities pupils have to use their calculation skills to solve problems.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Principal is ably supported by two Deputy Principals. Together they provide aspirational and sharply focused leadership that has quickly secured significant improvements in teaching and ensured behaviour is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leaders, such as those responsible for year groups and key stages, including in the early years, offer good support. They help ensure that teachers implement whole school expectations consistently and that pupils’ attainment improves.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s rapid improvement over the last year demonstrates its good capacity to continue to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teamwork is strong. Staff are not complacent and share a determination to improve. Their success in doing so is evident in pupils’ rapidly improving progress and rising attainment.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has an accurate view of how well it is doing. Leaders know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and respond quickly to tackle areas needing improvement. They check teaching quality frequently. Staff value the opportunities they have to attend training events or visit other schools to see very effective teaching practice in action.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes effective use of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils. This has resulted in these pupils improving their achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of the additional sport funding to increase the opportunities for pupils to take part in competitive sport, and many have now learnt to swim. The school employs a sports coach to ensure pupils have the chance to experience a wider range of sporting activities and enjoy being active.

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The leadership and management are good

 Equality of opportunity is at the heart of the school’s work and leaders do not tolerate any form of discrimination. Provision for pupils’ needing additional support and guidance is effective. For example, the nurture a group provides very good support for pupils experiencing emotional and learning difficulties.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. There is a good focus on pupils learning about British values and this prepares them well for British society. Adults model tolerance and respect extremely well and, consequently, pupils from diverse ethnic backgrounds get on well together.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is broad and balanced and provides pupils with extensive opportunities to develop their imagination and creativity as well as their English and mathematics skills. Teachers make good use of focus weeks, such as ‘Aspire’ week, to encourage pupils to have high expectations of what they can achieve in life. They use visits and visitors particularly well to provide pupils with meaningful experiences that enrich their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 All parents spoken to during the inspection, and the large majority of those who responded to Parent View, were confident that the school is led and managed well, and that it is improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s safeguarding arrangements are very thorough, fully meet statutory requirements and are implemented effectively to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils and staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Multi-Academy Trust provides effective support for the school in several respects. Making available swift access to good quality training has contributed to the improvement in teaching. However, some weaknesses in the support provided are evident, for example, there are errors in the Multi-Academy Trust’s safeguarding policy provided for the school.  The governance of the school:  members of the academy council have access to supportive training and guidance from the Multi- Academy Trust. They use it well to carry out their role as ‘champions’ and ‘critical friend’ for the school. They bring to their role extensive knowledge of the community and so are able to provide a valuable perspective in discussions about how well the school is doing. They are fully involved in holding the Principal, and other staff, to account for the school's results and carefully monitor how well its development plan is working in practice. Councillors have a clear understanding of what the school does

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The leadership and management are good

well and what needs to be improved. They know how well the allocation of resources, including additional funding, is supporting pupils with their learning. They ensure the school uses its procedures to manage the performance of staff effectively to assess and improve the performance of individual staff. They are fully involved in holding the Principal to account. They know how underperformance by staff is tackled and, insist that only good performance should lead to increases in salary. Councillors understand their safeguarding responsibilities very well and check to make sure that school practice meets statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are clear that behaviour has improved in the short time the school has been an academy as a result of the clear expectations and procedures leaders have introduced.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are enthusiastic about the experiences and opportunities they have at school. They are welcoming to visitors and very proud of their school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils respond well to the school’s focus on courtesy and respect, and understand and accept its system of rewards and sanctions. These procedures are a key part of its good support for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They promote pupils’ understanding of British values and their sense of tolerance and respect for others across the school very well.

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Behaviour

 Pupils work together well in lessons and develop positive and supportive relationships. They are keen to take on responsibility. Members of the pupil parliament are elected through a democratic process and take their responsibilities, as representatives of all pupils, very seriously.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are very clear that they enjoy their time at school. Parents appreciate the work done by the school to make their children feel welcome, including access to the Breakfast Club. The school has worked productively with families who struggle to get their children to school as often as they should. The marked improvement in pupils’ attendance to above average levels reflects the school’s success in this area.

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Behaviour

 Pupils show a genuine willingness to learn and the vast majority of pupils behave well in lessons. On occasions, there is a small amount of minor disruption in a few lessons when pupils lose focus. However, this behaviour is dealt with promptly by staff so its impact on pupils’ learning is minimised.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The school site is secure and access to it is regulated effectively. Pupil safety is at the heart of all the school’s procedures and staff and parents are positive in their praise for the way pupils are cared for in school. Pupils say that adults take good care of them in school.

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Safety

 Pupils are very clear about how to keep themselves safe and know who they would go to if they feel unhappy or anxious. They know that there are different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying and name calling, and know what to do if it happens to them. They consider that instances of bullying are very rare and are dealt with swiftly.

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Safety

 Pupils are carefully supervised at break times and any incidents or injuries are properly recorded. Staff complete risk assessments and safeguarding procedures meticulously.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good across the school. This is confirmed by inspectors’ evidence showing how teachers’ high expectations and the challenging work they set all groups of pupils in lessons are improving both behaviour and achievement, particularly in reading.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know pupils’ individual strengths and weakness and plan activities that successfully move their learning on. Their effective modelling of tasks and clear explanations ensure that pupils know what is expected of them in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers set well-organised and appropriately challenging work for pupils of different abilities and base activities firmly on what pupils already know. This ensures that all pupils, including the most able, make good progress. Teachers encourage pupils to be ambitious in their learning and to move on from the initial task they are set to a more difficult one. As a result pupils develop confidence and their learning often moves forwards quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of early reading and writing skills is effective. Good teaching of letter sounds in the early years’ classes and into Year 1 has led to more pupils achieving the expected and higher levels in reading and writing by the end of Key Stage 1.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants work very closely with teachers and make a significant contribution to the progress pupils make. They work skilfully with individuals and small groups to help pupils engage successfully in their lessons. They also work very effectively with disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs to address any specific difficulties these pupils might have in reading, writing or mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use homework well to reinforce pupils’ learning in school. Tasks encourage pupils to develop their creativity whilst also allowing them to practise their skills in English and mathematics. Pupils enjoy completing their homework and say it allows their ‘imagination to go free’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teachers mark pupils’ work frequently but there is some inconsistency in the quality of the written guidance they give to pupils about how to improve their work. Teachers do not always check that pupils have responded to the guidance they receive or make corrections or improvements. Consequently, some of the errors pupils make, such as in their spelling or their use of calculations, often persist in their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Some pupils struggle to complete calculation tasks quickly because the attention given to developing pupils’ mental calculation skills is restricted. Similarly, pupils have only limited opportunities to extend or refine their calculation skills in problem solving activities. These factors prevent their learning from being outstanding.

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is good

 Many children enter the early years with levels of development in key areas that are lower than those usually seen at this age. By Year 6, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is broadly average and it is improving quickly in Key Stages 1 and 2.

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is good

 Pupil’s progress in reading is often rapid. Their progress is generally good in writing and mathematics as teachers help pupils to address gaps in their learning. However, fewer pupils make the same rapid progress in these subjects as they do in reading. Nonetheless, their improved overall progress has resulted in a significant increase in the numbers of pupils reaching at least the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave Year 6. Current Year 6 pupils are performing at a better level than in previous years.

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is good

 Pupils’ positive attitudes contribute significantly to the good progress they make. They work very well together in pairs and small groups. Pupils regularly help each other to understand the work set in lessons through discussion and their often perceptive assessment of each other’s work helps improve their achievement.  The school’s work to improve the progress and raise the standards of disadvantaged pupils is effective. As a result, the gap between their attainment and that of their classmates is narrowing quickly. In Year 6 in 2014, disadvantaged pupils were around a year behind other pupils nationally in mathematics and two terms behind in writing and reading. They were between one and two terms behind other pupils at the school in all three subjects. These gaps have been largely eradicated this year.

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is good

 Pupils learning English as an additional language are supported well. They quickly become secure in their understanding of spoken and written English and achieve as well as other pupils.

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is good

 Teachers are providing a good level of challenge for pupils of all abilities in the tasks they plan for pupils in lessons. As a result the most able pupils are reaching the levels they are capable of.

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is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress from their starting points because teachers and teaching assistants work closely together. They monitor pupils’ progress very closely and provide well-targeted support.

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is good

 The early years leader has worked closely with staff to bring about swift improvements in planning and teaching. Staff conduct daily reviews of how well activities have engaged children’s interest and supported their learning. These reviews and other assessments are used well to record the next steps for individual children to push them on with their learning. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve and prepare them well for Year 1.

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is good

 On entry to the early years, children’s skills and level of development in their use of number, their language and communication and their ability to make relationships are often below those typically found. They make good and sometimes rapid progress in both the Nursery and Reception classes. The proportion reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception was very close to the national average in 2014, an improvement on the previous year.

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is good

 Routines are established as soon as children enter the Nursery and, as a result, children, both here and in Reception feel safe and behave well. Adults in both settings provide engaging activities that help children to develop good levels of concentration and to persevere for extended periods of time. They encourage children to play socially together and develop positive attitudes to school and to learning.

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is good

 Teaching is good. There is a strong emphasis on developing communication skills so children, including those who are learning to speak English, make rapid gains in their understanding and use of language. Adults take every opportunity to talk to children to extend their learning. They use discussion and questioning effectively to gauge children’s understanding and to move their learning forward, including for the most able.

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is good

 The stimulating activities available in both the internal and outdoor spaces motivate children and encourage them to use their senses to explore their world. Well-planned adult-led activities ensure children learn key skills, such as the sounds that letters make, and encourage them to develop their learning as they play. For example, inspectors observed children who were able to write shopping lists when playing in the role-play supermarket.

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is good

 Both the Nursery and Reception settings maintain close links with parents so that children settle quickly into school. Parents have confidence in the school and feel supported and included. They feel well informed about how well their children are doing.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 139214 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 450055

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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 Primary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 487 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sandra Harewood Principal Paul Tarry Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0121 6753269 Email address enquiries@oasishobmoor.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 and 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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