Oasis Academy Enfield

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Ms Lynne Dawes Executive Principal Oasis Academy Enfield 9 Kinetic Crescent Innova Park, Mollison Avenue Enfield Middlesex EN3 7XH

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

Following my visit to the school on 5 June 2018 with Benjamin Thompson, Ofsted Inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in May 2015.

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

You and your senior leadership team have a comprehensive picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Together, you take effective action to address the areas which require attention. Leaders and staff share high expectations for all pupils. You have rightly made raising standards a key focus of the school’s work to ensure that all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and the most able, are challenged to aim high. This year you have given particular emphasis to English because, in 2017, GCSE English results showed that pupils’ progress was not as strong as that of their peers nationally.

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

Pupils mainly behave well, treat each other and staff with respect, and attend regularly. You have been working hard to improve the behaviour and attendance of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Improvements in the additional behaviour support available for this group of pupils have led to a reduction in the number of exclusions. Careful monitoring and extra help have also contributed to a decrease in the rate of persistent absence. However, attendance for this group remains below national figures.

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

Those responsible for governance contribute strongly to school improvement. They draw on their wealth of educational experience to provide timely and effective support and challenge. They know the school well through their regular presence on site and correctly identify areas for further development. They are able to secure the required expertise to effect rapid change through the multi-academy structure.

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

You have developed a capable team of middle leaders who play an effective role in driving further improvements. In part, this is because you provide middle leaders with personalised development programmes to improve their leadership skills. Senior and middle leaders meet regularly to check that pupils are learning as well as they should. This ensures that middle leaders are held to account for the impact of their work on raising standards and improving the quality of teaching.

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

Parents and carers express great confidence in the school’s work. The majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, said that their children were safe and happy in school and were making good progress. Their views are represented by one parent who said: ‘I feel my son has made excellent progress at this school; teachers clearly put in a lot of hard work and dedication.’

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

Leaders and governors have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. They undertake regular checks to ensure that procedures are continually strengthened, including those related to the appointment of new staff. Records are detailed and of a high quality.

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

Leaders are fully aware of the safeguarding risks that are prevalent in the local area. They are proactive in ensuring that staff and pupils are aware of these issues and know what to do if concerns arise. For example, child protection training covers issues such as gang-related violence. The school responds swiftly when concerns arise and draws on advice from external agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils receive extra help when they need it.

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Short inspection of Oasis Academy Enfield

The school has clear systems in place to ensure the safety of pupils, especially the most vulnerable, when they are not on site. Pupils said that they feel safe in school and that everyone gets along well together. They demonstrated respect for each other and their environment.

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Inspection findings

 At the start of the inspection, we agreed to focus on the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils. GCSE information from previous years indicated that these pupils did not make as much progress as other pupils nationally.  Leaders’ use of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils, who typically account for over half of the school’s population, is well planned and underpinned by an analysis of pupils’ needs. This means that the additional support that pupils receive is targeted at helping them overcome particular barriers to learning. For example, leaders recognised that many pupils had insufficient opportunities to practise their literacy skills and develop their vocabulary outside of school. As a result, leaders put in place a range of additional help to support pupils’ language development. This work has been successful. Internal assessment information for Year 11 disadvantaged pupils suggests a marked improvement in the proportion

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Inspection findings

who are on track to attain both standard and strong passes in English when compared with last year’s cohort. However, leaders recognise that these improvements are not as evident in mathematics, where disadvantaged pupils are not attaining to the best of their abilities.  The second focus for the inspection was pupils’ and students’ progress and attainment in English and science in key stage 4 and the sixth form. GCSE and A- level results in 2017 showed that progress and attainment in these two subjects were below national averages.  Leaders have responded quickly to secure the necessary improvements. Leaders and teachers have focused on the development of pupils’ writing skills in English. Assessment arrangements have been improved so that any underachievement can be identified and acted upon quickly. External support from within the multi- academy trust has helped to ensure that assessments are accurate. School

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Inspection findings

information indicates that outcomes for the current Year 11 in English have improved considerably compared with previous cohorts. Leaders are now planning to transfer some of the strategies which have proved successful in English to science.  In the sixth form, leaders have ensured that teaching typically stretches students’ knowledge and understanding. In English, action following each assessment is prompt and targeted, ensuring that students address their weaknesses as they arise. Redrafting is a key element of this process. In science, students work with teachers to identify areas that need further attention. This enables them to deepen and strengthen their understanding. As a result, students are making strong progress and standards are rising in English and science.  The third area of focus was the progress and attainment of the most able pupils, particularly in English, mathematics and science. Leaders recognise that these

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Inspection findings

pupils are capable of more and have made this a priority in their plans for improvement.  You have sought to improve teachers’ use of probing and targeted questions to help pupils to think deeply about what they are learning. Through effective questioning, teachers are able to assess pupils’ understanding. This informs their planning and helps them meet pupils’ needs. These approaches have been successfully applied in English, but leaders recognise that they need to be applied more consistently across the school. Current assessment information for most- able Year 11 students in English shows much stronger progress and attainment, and this can also be seen lower down the school. Year 9 and 10 students are on track to achieve similar outcomes.  In science, a new course has been introduced for the most able students in key stage 4. This is intended to provide greater challenge and a stronger platform for

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Inspection findings

sixth-form studies. Internal assessment information suggests that most able pupils are now making stronger progress in science, although in mathematics their attainment is not as strong as it should be given their starting points. Leaders have identified a need to carry out further work to ensure that outcomes for the most able match those achieved in English.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the school’s strategies to improve pupils’ progress and attainment are used as well in other subjects as they are in English  the most able pupils are presented with work that is consistently challenging in mathematics and science.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the regional director and the chief executive officer, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Enfield. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documentation, including assessment information and documents relating to safeguarding. Inspectors visited classes with senior leaders, looked at work in pupils’ books and spoke with staff and pupils. Inspectors met with school leaders, the leader with responsibility for safeguarding and the special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector held meetings with the regional director and the lead principal from the multi-academy trust. In addition, inspectors analysed the 40 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents and 33 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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