Oasis Academy Warndon

Oasis Academy Warndon Edgeworth Close, Warndon, Worcester, WR4 9PE

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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

 Excellent leadership and management by the Principal and other senior leaders, have helped staff to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement greatly.  A strong working partnership between the academy trust and the academy’s governors, the academy council, means that governance provides a good balance between rigorous challenge and effective support to staff.  The leaders for different age groups and for English and mathematics make strong contributions to improving education in the academy.  Pupils are making increasingly rapid progress. For many older pupils, this is helping them to make up a lot of lost ground from earlier in their education.  Teachers consistently ensure an orderly, purposeful working atmosphere in class. They are very successful in engaging pupils’ interest, so pupils concentrate well and make good progress.  The academy checks pupils’ progress very thoroughly. All groups make good progress because

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

teachers take care to ensure that they have work that is challenging but manageable.  Pupils’ behaviour has greatly improved. They enjoy school, work hard and take a pride in their success. Pupils have good relationships and work particularly well when asked to work collaboratively.  Children in the early years receive a good quality start to their education. They are happy and settled, and make good progress.  The academy is exceptionally rigorous in keeping pupils safe and secure. They feel safe and happy when in the academy.  An innovative programme to help pupils who have emotional or behavioural problems is extremely effective in enhancing their progress and well- being.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet outstanding. In particular, teachers sometimes do not challenge the most- able pupils quite enough in order to help them make outstanding progress.  Some subject leaders have not yet had the same opportunities to make improvements in their subjects in the way that the leaders for mathematics and English have had.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in every class. Members of the senior staff accompanied the inspectors on several of these visits. An inspector made a number of short visits to observe adults working with small groups of pupils outside the classroom.  Inspectors held formal meetings with staff, groups of pupils, and representatives of the academy trust and the academy council. The team spoke informally to staff and pupils around the academy. Inspectors heard several pupils reading.  The team took account of the views of 42 parents on the online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as the results of the academy’s own questionnaire about parental views. An inspector spoke informally to some parents at the start of the day.  Inspectors examined a variety of documentation, particularly that related to safeguarding, the academy’s assessment of its own performance, and information about pupils’ progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors examined samples of pupils’ work in their books and in displays.

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Inspection team

Steven Hill, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Oasis Academy Warndon became an academy on 1 October 2013. Its sponsor is Oasis, a multi-academy trust. The trust and its officers share the governance of the academy with the local academy council, which fulfils most of the day-to-day responsibilities of a conventional governing body.  The academy is much larger than the average primary school. It is growing in size. The youngest children in the early years attend the Nursery class part-time, in either the morning or afternoon. There are three full-time Reception classes for older children in the early years.  Most pupils are White British, with a few coming from a range of other ethnic heritages. Few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who receive support from the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium is extra government funding to support the education of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, or who have been eligible in the past, and children who are

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Information about this school

looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards. These are minimum expectations set for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The Principal took up his post in January 2014. The academy then introduced a new leadership structure and this has contributed to considerable staffing changes since then. A new Associate Principal took up post in September 2014.  There is a Children’s Centre on the academy’s site. This is managed, inspected and reported upon separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement to outstanding by improving teaching to outstanding. In particular, ensure that teachers always challenge the most-able pupils and help them to reach very high standards.  Build on the work of the English and mathematics leaders to ensure that leaders in all subjects are equally effective in driving improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Principal has led colleagues in completely transforming the quality of the academy’s education and pupils’ subsequent achievement since the start of 2014. He has established a clear vision for the academy, based on high achievement and strong personal development, which staff, pupils and their parents all share.

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The leadership and management are good

 A key to the improvements has been the introduction of more rigorous and accurate systems to assess pupils’ attainment, and so keep track of how well they are doing. This has been of enormous benefit in helping teachers to plan work at the right level for different groups of pupils. It has also enabled the rapid identification of any pupils who are not achieving enough. The academy is now very quick to put extra help in place for such pupils, so that they soon catch up. In parallel, the senior leaders have led staff in developing a thorough new assessment system based on the new national curriculum. This means such support can continue in future, and the school’s system is being used as a model by a number of other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The management of teaching is now extremely strong. Leaders have introduced and implemented common approaches to planning and marking, and to giving pupils a clear understanding of what is wanted, across the academy. This structure and support for staff are ensuring that teaching is at least good in all age groups.

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The leadership and management are good

 The work of the Associate Principal has consolidated and greatly accelerated improvements to teaching during this school year. She has ensured, with the Principal and other senior leaders, that teachers’ performance is monitored very closely. Advice and support are provided quickly to address any areas of weakness. In particular, the Associate Principal has devised with colleagues a programme of training modules. These are aligned with the development requirements of this academy and take good account of the training needs of individual staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 Other leaders provide increasingly effective support. The leader for early years has managed major improvements to provision in Reception and Nursery. The special educational needs coordinator has ensured that good provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has led to them achieving well.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders for English and mathematics, and for particular year groups, have been very effective in helping colleagues to raise standards in their areas. However, leaders of other subjects have not had the same opportunities to drive improvements in their areas of responsibility. The academy, having rightly given priority to English and mathematics, is now planning to extend the roles of leaders in other subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 Strong teamwork from staff ensures that a purposeful culture of good behaviour and improving achievement pervades the academy.

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The leadership and management are good

 The trust provides good support to the academy. It provides a particularly strong lead in helping the academy to manage finances, personnel matters and safeguarding. The expertise of the trust's officers helps the academy to evaluate its own effectiveness accurately.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy spends pupil premium money effectively. The provision of academic help to those eligible pupils who need it complements the social and emotional support that the academy provides. The academy spends money to ensure that no eligible pupils are excluded from any aspect of academy life because of their financial circumstances.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy spends the primary physical education and sports funding well. The use of a specialist teacher to help staff develop their skills is ensuring that improvements made will have a long-term impact on pupils’ skills and physical well-being. Money spent on equipment and sports kit is extending the range of activities available to pupils, and increasing the academy’s participation in competitive sports. Pupils enjoy sport and are proud of the trophies the academy has won.  The academy has used the new national curriculum as the basis for an interesting and wide-ranging approach to how it organises learning. An innovative approach that is based on a major project each term strongly motivates pupils. This ensures pupils are making good progress and enjoying lessons. A strong focus on reading, writing and mathematics has driven up standards in these subjects. The academy generally teaches other subjects in a way that links them together to make learning more meaningful to

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The leadership and management are good

pupils. It also helps them to relate their learning to their everyday lives. Pupils enjoy the good opportunities for sports and music. All Year 4 are currently learning to play the trumpet, for example.

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The leadership and management are good

 The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The academy actively promotes British values such as tolerance, and pupils have good opportunities to take part in the democratic process of the academy’s institutions. Pupils are, therefore, prepared well for life in modern Britain. The academy ensures that all pupils have equality of opportunity and that discrimination is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy works effectively to keep pupils safe. Procedures for safeguarding meet statutory requirements. Staff react quickly to any concerns and follow them up and record them well. There is an effective and innovative programme to help pupils who have social and emotional problems, or whose circumstances might make them vulnerable. This has had a major impact on pupils’ safety, as well as their well-being and behaviour.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The partnership between the academy council members and the officers of the trust is extremely effective in making use of the knowledge and expertise of both. Council members have a good understanding of how well pupils are achieving through visits to the academy and from their examination of the school's data.  Council members oversee the academy’s systems to manage teachers’ performance closely, so they know about strengths and weaknesses in teaching. This gives them a good understanding of the academy, so they can both support staff and hold them to account for the academy’s success. The academy council works with the trust to ensure that good performance is properly rewarded and any issues are addressed promptly and effectively.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This is true right from the youngest children in the Nursery through to Year 6. Pupils themselves identify that it is much better since the academy opened and are pleased that their learning is not hampered by weak behaviour. They behave well at playtimes and play energetically but with proper care for each other’s welfare.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are hard working and keen to succeed. They listen attentively to adults and follow instructions well. Pupils concentrate well in class and persist in the face of difficulties. They take great care, as is shown in the improved presentation of work in their books.

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Behaviour

 Pupils get on well together regardless of background, and this helps them to make particularly good progress when they work collaboratively. They share ideas sensibly and listen to each other’s suggestions. Pupils are appreciative of each other’s talents and skills, and they take an interest in people from around the world.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have learned what good behaviour looks like; when they forget themselves for a moment, a quick word or glance from an adult restores order. Their good relationships with adults mean they are generally secure in asking for help or clarification. Occasionally, they do not ask for help when puzzled, but adults are usually quick to notice their plight and provide help.

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Behaviour

 A number of pupils who have had substantial emotional or behavioural difficulties have greatly improved their conduct and their well-being thanks to a specific programme introduced to help them. A number of specially trained staff assess the needs of individuals, and provide a carefully tailored programme of support to help them improve. This has been very successful.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are polite, friendly and cheerful, and their good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning make a strong contribution to their progress. Their behaviour is also good in the breakfast club. Pupils’ positive approach was exemplified by one who described the club as ‘food and fun.’

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Good systems are in place so that all adults who work in the school are suitably checked. Regular audits of safety make sure the environment presents minimal hazards. The continual reinforcement by staff of sensible behaviour and the assurance that pupils understand the impact of their conduct on others helps keep everyone safe.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes bullying and of how this differs from other misbehaviour. They say that bullying seldom happens in the school and that adults react very quickly to deal with this, or any other incidents of misbehaviour. Some older pupils say this rapid response to any misbehaviour is a major improvement over their previous experiences.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, for example through fire drills or when using the internet.

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Safety

 The academy has taken pains to raise attendance since it opened. Good systems are in place to chase up absences and to encourage good attendance. Attendance has gone up significantly. While it remains a little below average, the academy's rigorous approach means that attendance is continuing to improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has become much more consistent across the school and it is now generally good, but not yet outstanding, over time. Teachers are good at getting pupils to enjoy learning. A group of Year 6 pupils agreed that they were learning a lot because teachers were never boring and made learning fun.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers generally plan work that is at the right level for pupils of different abilities, so it is neither too easy nor too hard. Pupils who might otherwise struggle with their work often have extra help from skilled extra adults, who provide good support while challenging them to do their best.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour and make these clear to pupils. Routines are well established, so pupils get down to work quickly without any time being wasted. Very positive relationships between staff and pupils mean that pupils are keen to please their teachers by working hard and behaving well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most lessons, adults keep a careful check on pupils’ progress. They intervene quickly to help any who are confused, so that they are not left behind. In many lessons, adults talk to pupils about their work, challenging them to refine it and to extend their thinking. This is a particular feature of teaching in the early years.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading is good. Staff teach younger pupils how to use phonics (how the different letters in words represent different sounds) increasingly effectively, so that they make good progress from the start. Teachers have addressed gaps in pupils’ reading skills in the older classes extremely effectively through regular lessons devoted to reading. By Year 6, pupils are now confident readers who read often, have clear preferences and talk enthusiastically about what they read.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The good teaching of writing is helping pupils to make rapid improvements in their writing skills. The use of phonics skills is helping younger pupils to write fluently and independently. An insistence on meticulous attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation in older classes is backed up by writing tasks that pupils find interesting and exciting.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of mathematics is good. Pupils are encouraged to think through their ideas and explain them so their understanding is secure.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers tell pupils very clearly what is expected of them in lessons and what will constitute success. Pupils and teachers evaluate the work against these criteria, so they know what they have done well and how to improve. Teachers’ marking is good and often helps pupils’ consolidate their learning by giving them extra challenges, or asking them to correct mistakes. In line with the academy policy, teachers make sure that pupils respond to these comments, so that they build effectively on their mistakes as well as their success.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers usually give the most-able pupils more difficult work than their classmates which enables them to make good progress. However, they sometimes miss opportunities to challenge these pupils to extend their thinking further and to really deepen their understanding and make more rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement has been rapid in the last year, from the early years onwards, but particularly for older pupils. This is enabling many pupils in the present Year 6 to reach broadly average standards in reading and mathematics, despite having low standards twelve months ago. Progress in writing has also been good, but standards remain below average by Year 6. However, throughout the school, good progress in writing means that younger pupils are on track to reach at least average standards in writing by the time they reach Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A major success of the academy has been to ensure that all groups of pupils are making similarly good progress. Good teaching has eliminated gaps in the progress of boys and girls.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disadvantaged pupils have made the same good progress as their classmates since the academy opened. Gaps in their attainment and that of other pupils are closing. In the national assessments for Year 6 pupils in 2014, disadvantaged pupils were a term behind their classmates in reading, two and a half terms behind in writing, and two terms behind in mathematics. In comparison with all pupils nationally, they were behind by three terms in reading, four and a half terms in writing and four terms in mathematics. The school’s data show that the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in the current Year 6 is on track to be much closer to that of others, both in school and nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils make good progress. They respond well to the more difficult work they receive and take a delight in success. They do not make outstanding progress because adults to not consistently challenge them to tackle really difficult work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Work that is matched to their particular needs, together with a good mix of challenge and support from adults, means that they achieve well.

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The early years provision is good

 Good leadership and management have had a major impact on improving teaching and children’s progress over the last year. The proportion of children who have attained a good level of development has almost doubled since last year. Although it remains below average, the gap in attainment between children in the academy compared to children nationally is narrower by the end of Reception than when they started.

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The early years provision is good

 Children achieve well. Most come into Nursery or Reception with skills and understanding that are generally lower than those typical for their ages, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. Children make good progress in all areas of learning and start to catch up. The improvements made from their starting points and their positive attitudes to learning mean that children are ready for the challenges of Year 1. Gaps between the attainment of girls and boys, and between disadvantaged children and others, narrow well during the course of the year.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good. Adults use assessment information well to identify and address gaps in children’s understanding. They check children’s progress during their play, regularly talking to them to extend their learning, develop their vocabulary and encourage them to think about what they are doing.

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The early years provision is good

 Children feel secure in the setting and behave well. Continual gentle reminders and good modelling from all the adults help children to learn how they should treat others with respect. They play together well, sharing equipment and chatting animatedly together about what they are doing.

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The early years provision is good

 Arrangements to keep children safe are stringent and meet statutory requirements.

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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 140041 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 450194

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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 492 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Brookes Principal Matt Meckin Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01905 453530 Fax number No fax available Email address admin@oasiswarndon.org guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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