Oasis Academy Fir Vale

Owler Lane, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S4 8GA

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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This is an inadequate school

 Until very recently, the academy trust has failed to provide the academy with the strong leadership it needed. As a result, teaching, behaviour and pupil progress have not improved rapidly enough.  As a result of inadequate teaching, too few pupils make expected progress from their starting points. Consequently, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is exceptionally low.  Teaching has failed to meet the needs of pupils sufficiently because teachers’ expectations of the standard of pupils’ work and behaviour have been too low.  Teacher assessments have not been accurate and assessment information has not been used to plan sequences of lessons that will help pupils to learn quickly.  The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) is weak and as a result too few pupils are able to read and write independently.  Teachers’ guidance to pupils on how to improve their work has not been clear enough.

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This is an inadequate school

 A lack of experienced subject leaders means that leaders have been unable to improve the quality of teaching rapidly enough.  Learning support staff do not always have sufficient impact on pupils’ progress because teachers do not deploy them well enough in all parts of the lesson.  Provision for children in the early years is inadequate. Expectations of what children will achieve are low and teaching is not focused sharply enough on developing the communication and language skills children desperately need to acquire.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are inadequate. Too many pupils in Key Stage 2 are unable to regulate their own behaviour without adult supervision or support.  Although improving, pupils’ attendance at the academy is too low and too many pupils arrive late.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new Principal, ably supported by the acting vice-principal, is the determining factor in all of the recent improvements seen. She has quickly gained the respect of staff and the trust of pupils.  The academy council has a good knowledge of the personal, social and emotional barriers facing pupils and works hard in the community to alleviate these.

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently secure effective leadership at all levels with the skills and expertise to :  rapidly improve the quality of teaching  improve pupils’ behaviour, minimise the impact of poor behaviour on pupils’ learning and ensure that all pupils feel happy and safe in school  improve attendance, ensuring that pupils attend regularly and on time in order to provide consistency and continuity in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to secure good or better progress for all pupils by:  ensuring that teachers assess pupils’ work accurately, plan lessons that build upon and extend pupils’ prior learning effectively, and provide the right level of challenge and support for pupils  making sure that teachers plan for and direct the work of teaching assistants effectively  developing teachers’ subject knowledge so that the basic skills of communication and language, reading, writing and mathematics are taught well  improving the teaching of phonics to enable younger pupils to speak, read and write with greater confidence  developing a language-rich environment which allows pupils to immerse themselves in spoken and written language.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the youngest children get off to the best possible start by improving the cohesion and consistency of planning, teaching, assessment and use of resources in the early years.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the academy’s use of pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 Since the academy opened 16 months ago, there have been three different principals and many changes in staffing. This has resulted in the academy failing to provide the quality of teaching needed for pupils to make adequate progress. Leaders did not secure effective behaviour, tackle poor attendance or properly safeguard pupils .  The academy trust has now secured a strong and determined principal and a capable acting vice- principal. It is possible to see the ‘green shoots’ of the work of this new leadership team beginning to impact on pupils’ behaviour and, to a lesser extent, on teaching. However, their progress has been impeded by the relentless checking of their work by the local authority and academy trust rather than providing the external support needed in the early days of their appointments.  From her appointment in September 2015, the Principal needed to focus much of her energy on dealing

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

with pupils’ aggressive behaviour, as well as numerous safeguarding issues, because there were no other senior leaders to support her. The secondment of an acting vice-principal in November 2015 meant that more time was spent on improving the quality of teaching and learning. Since their appointments both senior leaders have worked exceptionally hard to develop systems and procedures to improve behaviour, safeguarding and teaching, and this is starting to bear fruit.  The Principal has introduced clearer and more robust systems for checking on teaching, providing support and holding teachers to account. It is too soon to measure fully the impact, but inspectors saw how work undertaken by both the Principal and vice-principal has improved the teaching of several members of staff. This, in turn, has begun to have an impact on pupil’s learning and progress. This work has been hindered in some classes by more staff changes and more temporary supply teachers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 The academy has experienced extensive instability in staffing at all levels. Although senior leadership is now improved, middle leadership is not secure as there are too few permanent and experienced staff to lead subjects well and support others to improve their teaching.  Procedures for setting targets for teachers are in place but the impact on pupils’ learning is not yet clear. Teaching staff have confidence in senior leaders and most are responsive to suggestions on how to improve their teaching.  Extra money provided to the academy to support disadvantaged pupils has been used to employ additional staff to deliver bespoke lessons, during school time and lunchtime, to help groups of pupils with challenging behaviours or low self-esteem. These initiatives are very new and while they have had a significant impact upon the behaviour of these pupils, the academy has not measured the impact of pupil

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

premium spending on improving pupils’ achievement.  The curriculum provides pupils with opportunities to explore global issues, other faiths and cultures and to appreciate diversity. However, the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has not been effective as, according to pupils, some pupils exhibit racist views and a disregard for the feelings of others, particularly in Key Stage 2.  The primary school physical education and sports funding has been used to provide equipment to develop outdoor play for children in the early years and in Key Stage 1 and 2. This has led to some improvements in the behaviour of pupils at lunchtimes. Pupils have enjoyed regular visits from Sheffield Wednesday football coaches, and they have improved their fitness through a targeted programme.  No parents responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Some parents who spoke directly with the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

inspector voiced concerns over the high number of staff leaving the academy and the impact of this on their children.  The inspector recommends that newly qualified teachers should not be appointed.  The governance of the school  The academy council effectively supports the academy by representing its interests in the community. The council has recently met with parents to determine how they feel about the work of the academy and it has been proactive in trying to meet parents’ needs.  The academy trust has an accurate view of the effectiveness of the academy, but until very recently the support it offered has had insufficient impact on the quality of teaching and learning. There has been too much emphasis on judging rather than developing teachers.  The trust has ensured that some pupil premium funding has been spent to support pupils to manage their behaviour and for some pupils this has been effective.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 Until recently, the academy’s work to keep pupils safe was inadequate because safeguarding practices were not robust enough. The Principal, supported by the regional director of the academy trust, has made sure that all staff follow policy and procedure, and leaders are working more effectively with parents, so that arrangements for safeguarding are now effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 Teaching has not enabled pupils to make sufficient progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers are not picking up on basic errors effectively enough to ensure that pupils’ work improves. Some assessments have not been accurate and teachers have not used what they know about pupil’s starting points to plan and teach lessons to meet the needs of pupils more closely. The lack of accurate assessment has meant that teaching has not sufficiently challenged more-able pupils to make rapid progress. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs have also struggled to make progress.  Pupils do not have frequent and regular opportunities to learn at a level appropriate for their needs. Teachers’ questioning is not well used to check on understanding. Consequently, many pupils do not understand new concepts and too many pupils give up and begin to misbehave.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is underdeveloped. This is particularly the case in the teaching of reading,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

writing and mathematics. The teaching of phonics is not as effective as it should be because teachers and additional adults do not always model the sounds letters make precisely for pupils to copy, and they do not consistently insist that pupils try to form their letter sounds correctly. This hampers pupils’ attempts to read and to write independently.  Teachers do not promote pupils’ reading skills well enough. Recently introduced reading records show that pupils do not regularly read a variety of books and are often reading material that is either too easy or too hard for them. Teachers and additional adults are not skilfully questioning to check pupils’ understanding and sometimes pupils are trying and failing to answer inappropriate written questions.  The quality of pupils’ written work is often compromised because of poorly formed handwriting. Teachers do not ensure that pupils understand key words or provide pupils with the support they need to write

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

well.  The weak teaching of mathematics, and in particular mathematical vocabulary, limits pupils’ learning as they struggle to apply basic calculation skills and explain their reasoning, without fully understanding what is expected of them.  The quality of pupils’ work in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics and mathematics is also too varied. Some pupils benefit from practical science lessons, but some are unable to cope with the open nature of practical tasks and disrupt learning for others. Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ work, for example in history, geography or art, is not sufficiently challenging. Consequently, pupils do not develop the necessary skills to achieve well.  Very little use is made of information technology to motivate pupils, to deepen learning or to support pupils in their research.  Insufficient use is made of teaching assistants to increase the rate of learning in some lessons. Too often

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

they are involved in ensuring that pupils behave or stay on task and are unable to really develop learning.  Senior leaders are implementing tighter procedures to monitor and assess pupils’ progress but systems are very new. These are not embedded well enough to ensure consistency in all classes.  In the minority of cases, where teaching provides effective challenge, pupils are making better progress. For example in a phonics lesson, the thoughtful questioning of the teacher ensured that pupils repeated sounds enthusiastically and had opportunities to use and apply new learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The academy’s work to promote pupil’s personal development and welfare is inadequate. Pupils report that bullying occurs and some pupils express racist comments. They say this is dealt with quickly by adults in the academy.  Some pupils do not have positive attitudes to learning and disrupt the learning of others. A new system to encourage good behaviour has been introduced and the more consistent use of this system by adults is beginning to have an impact. As a result, the academy is calmer than it has been in the past.  Pupils say they have been taught how to use the internet safely and are reminded during each computing lesson. However, leaders at the academy express concerns over pupils’ ability to keep themselves safe when out of school and are now working more effectively with external agencies to ensure pupils’ safety.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate. Misbehaviour in lessons is common. When teaching is not well matched to pupils’ ability they quickly lose interest and this results in low-level disruptive behaviour or loss of concentration.  Some pupils exhibit poor behaviour outside lesson time, when moving around school independently, or during playtimes. Adults step in quickly to resolve issues and plans are in place to support pupils with regularly challenging behaviour.  Although there have been recent significant improvements in the rates of attendance, attendance is still too low. Pupils’ low attendance contributes to their inadequate progress and poor attitudes to learning.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 As a result of poor standards at the end of each key stage, pupils are not well prepared for the next stage of their education. In 2015, very few pupils attained expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics and most Year 6 pupils left for secondary school with levels of attainment almost four years behind other pupils.  Achievement is inadequate because pupils make too little progress from their individual starting points. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding in reading, writing and mathematics are not good enough.  Pupils make insufficient progress in all classes so that the vast majority of current pupils are working at levels well below that seen nationally. In the past, too little attention has been given to providing effective support to those pupils who are new to learning English and as a result they have struggled to access learning in class.  Pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium made inadequate progress because they are not

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

always supported well in reading, writing and mathematics. Support has been heavily focused on helping pupils to behave appropriately so they can begin to learn.  The needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are identified but this identification has not been swift enough. In addition, they have not been well enough supported and consequently the progress of this group of pupils is inadequate.

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Early years provision is inadequate

 Substantial weaknesses in the leadership, teaching and provision within the early years mean that most children have not been well prepared for Year 1.  There has been little communication or consistency between Nursery and Reception classes to ensure that learning is highly focused on giving children the best possible start to their education.  Children join the academy with skills typically below those expected for their age. Children’s language and communication skills are particularly weak. A high proportion of children enter the setting with little or no English and many do not talk confidently in their home language.  Varied systems for assessing and recording children’s progress have been ineffective, so teachers have been unable to accurately plan next steps in learning. This has hindered children’s learning, particularly in the key areas of social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy.

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Early years provision is inadequate

 Teachers have not planned sufficient opportunities for children to listen to adults, to try out their own early attempts at English and to play in a setting rich in language. The work of the speech and language therapist has limited impact because other adults do not make the most of opportunities to model speech or to challenge children through their questioning.  The teaching of phonics has not been rigorous enough to ensure that children have developed the listening skills they need to identify and repeat first letter sounds.  Although indoor provision is bright and inviting, teachers do not use outdoor spaces well to enhance children’s development and children are unable to choose independently to learn outdoors.  Teachers effectively build good relationships with and between children. As a result, the environment in early years is calm and children behave well. Even so, some children do not regularly enough and become

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Early years provision is inadequate

distressed when leaving their parents at the start of the day. Teachers speak regularly with parents in order to reinforce the importance of good attendance and, as a result, children’s attendance in Reception is the highest in the academy.  Additional funding to support disadvantaged children has been used to employ staff to help children to develop their use of English and to develop children’s confidence so they can join in and learn.  Teachers effectively challenge gender and cultural stereotypes and praise children for trying new things. For example, boys were seen sweeping up after doing some ‘repair work’ around the classroom and some were observed tending a ‘baby’ in the home corner.

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School details

Unique reference number 140218 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 10010337

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School details

This inspection 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 255 Appropriate authority Oasis Academy Trust Chair of Academy Council Jonathan Savage Principal Helen Round Telephone number 0114 201 2300 Website www.oasisacademyfirvale.org Email address info@oasisfirvale.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Oasis Academy Fir Vale opened as a new academy in September 2014 and is run by the Oasis Academy Trust.  This is an average-sized primary school with slightly less girls than boys on roll.  Almost all pupils are from a minority ethnic background and speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standard that sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment.

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Information about this inspection

 The academy received a section 8 no formal designation inspection on 11 December, the findings from which informed the decision to bring forward this section 5 inspection.  Inspectors observed the academy’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the Principal, acting vice- principal, the regional director of the academy trust, members of the academy council and leader for special educational needs.  Pupils’ learning was observed in all classes. A total of 25 parts of lessons were observed, many with either the Principal or acting vice-principal.  The inspector took account of the views of six parents. No parents responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View.  The views of teachers were taken into account through a meeting and four responses to the online staff questionnaire.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in meetings, in lessons and around the academy.

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Inspection team

Lesley Butcher, Lead Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Anne Bowyer Her Majesty’s Inspector Mary Lanovy-Taylor Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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