Oasis Academy Putney

Oasis Academy Putney 184 Lower Richmond Road, London SW15 1LY

p.1

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

p.1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

p.1

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Oasis Academy Putney has a highly committed leadership team, comprising the assistant principal and the executive principal. Together with governors, they share a determination to ensure that all pupils are successful learners.  Leaders and governors have created a harmonious school community where staff, parents and carers, visitors and children feel welcomed and valued.  The ‘Oasis 9 Habits’ underpin the school’s high expectations for every pupil. Pupils demonstrate a deep understanding of these values. Consequently, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is promoted well.  Governors have efficient systems and structures in place to hold leaders to account. As a result, governors provide robust challenge and support, and help the school to improve further.  Adults provide high levels of nurture and support. Pupils are well looked after. Leaders and staff make sure that pupils are safe and

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

know how to stay safe.  Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful. They behave exceptionally well, and take pride in their work. Pupils enjoy school and attend regularly.  Parents are highly supportive of the school. They value the support and care that their children receive.  Children get off to a flying start in early years. This is because provision is very well led and managed. As a result, children make excellent progress from their different starting points.  The stimulating curriculum provides pupils with a wide range of engaging learning activities. It is enriched through trips, external visitors and clubs.  The majority of teachers are new to the school, as of this academic year. This is due to the year-on-year expansion of the school. Leaders provide effective support to help teachers settle into their roles and further develop their skills. As a result, pupils continue to achieve well as they move through the school.

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Most pupils make good progress across a range of subjects. However, the most able pupils are not routinely challenged to extend their knowledge and skills in subjects other than English and mathematics.  In mathematics, pupils develop a secure understanding of arithmetic. Nonetheless, there are fewer opportunities to practise their problem-solving and reasoning skills.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning, by: – providing pupils with more opportunities in mathematics to practise their reasoning and problem-solving skills – routinely challenging the most able pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding in subjects other than English and mathematics.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 The assistant principal and executive principal work highly effectively in fulfilling their responsibilities. They have worked successfully to create a warm, welcoming and inclusive community. Leaders set a clear and ambitious direction for the school. As a result, staff, pupils and parents are equally committed to the vision and ethos of the school.  Leaders have an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the school. They have precise areas for development and plans for improvements are secure. The academy trust plays an active role in the strategic leadership of the school. Directors of the trust work closely with leaders and offer effective support to secure further improvements.  Leaders actively engage with parents to ensure that pupils get the very best care. For example, a working party was set up with parents to develop nutritious and well- balanced school lunches.  Leaders’ unswerving commitment to inclusion is evident in their work to ensure that

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make strong progress from their different starting points. Leaders carefully track the progress of these pupils, and regularly review the impact of the SEND funding. Barriers to learning are identified, and pupils receive appropriate interventions. As a result, these pupils make good progress and grow in confidence.  Leaders use funding for disadvantaged pupils carefully. Leaders provide these pupils with the precise support they need to thrive. Pupils experience a range of enrichment activities to help them develop socially and academically. This enables disadvantaged pupils to close gaps in their learning and make strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Leaders’ design of the curriculum allows pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding effectively. Each new topic begins with a memorable experience to capture pupils’ curiosity and interest. Work in topic books and displays around the

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

school reflect the breadth of subjects taught. Trips out and visitors to the school help pupils to engage in their learning. For example, some pupils visited Windsor Castle as part of their topic on ‘Towers, Tunnels and Turrets’.  Leaders provide rich opportunities for developing pupils’ experiences in a wide range of subjects. For example, pupils benefit from outdoor learning and are encouraged to develop their appreciation of music and art through specialist teachers. Pupils enjoy participating in the many clubs available, including those for ballet and Spanish.  The primary school physical education (PE) and sport funding is spent effectively to encourage pupils to participate in sport and to promote healthy lifestyles. Staff have developed their skills in teaching PE by working closely with the sports coach.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. This is reflected in the

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

way pupils talk to and treat those around them with respect and courtesy. For example, one pupil said, ‘It doesn’t matter what religion we believe in or if we don’t have a religion at all, we are all one big family.’  British values are interwoven into the curriculum, and are further promoted through the school’s values. Pupils gain first-hand experience of democracy by voting for and electing the pupil parliament. Pupils learn about different religions and cultures. For example, a visitor was invited to talk to pupils about the Hindu festival of Diwali.  The large majority of parents greatly value the school. Typical of parents’ views, one commented that, ‘My child absolutely loves the school.’ Parents are highly complimentary about the teaching and subsequent progress their children make, especially in reading and writing.  Senior leaders carefully plan support to help new staff settle into their roles. Leaders

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

regularly check the quality of teaching and respond swiftly to make further improvements. Leaders model good practice, provide coaching and work alongside staff to refine their teaching skills. As a result, most teaching is of high quality.

p.4

Governance of the school

 The academy trust and members of the academy council work collaboratively to carry out their responsibilities of governance. They are ambitious and committed to ensuring that all pupils succeed.  Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and the areas identified for further improvement.  Governors are determined that pupils leave the school as well-rounded individuals who are ready for the next phase of their education. This is reflected through the rich and interesting curriculum.  Through regular visits to the school, and in meetings, governors ask pertinent questions and provide focused challenge. They support leaders, and demonstrate a clear vision to make the school the best that it can be.

p.4

Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training. Consequently, staff are alert to changes in pupils’ behaviour and other signs that may raise concerns.  Pupils said that they feel safe, and the majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, said that their children feel safe at school.  The records for vulnerable pupils are well organised. There are clear systems to ensure that referrals are timely, and additional support is available to pupils and families who need it.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Leaders and staff have created a happy, purposeful and inclusive environment, which helps pupils become confident learners. Staff build strong relationships that enable pupils to develop their self-esteem. As a result, pupils have eager and positive attitudes towards their learning, and enjoy their lessons.  Pupils are encouraged to discuss their learning, and work collaboratively in many lessons. Where teaching is exceptional, teachers display strong subject knowledge. This enables them to question, probe and deepen pupils’ thinking.  Teachers and support staff have high expectations of pupils’ behavior. Well-established routines and systems are applied consistently across the school. Pupils know what is expected of them and, as a result, they are attentive and inquisitive learners.  Reading is a strength in this school. The teaching of phonics is carefully developed in early years. This is then built on in Year 1. As a result, pupils get off to a positive start

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

in their reading. Pupils read fluently and widely. They talk in detail about the books they enjoy, and offer their opinions about different characters. Pupils were excited to talk about the wide range of books that are available for them to borrow from the school’s library. One pupil commented, ‘I love going to the library more than I love chocolate.’  Pupils explore different styles of text, and write for a variety of purposes. They are given opportunities to apply their spelling and grammatical knowledge in their writing across the curriculum. As a result, pupils’ writing skills become increasingly sophisticated as they progress through the school.  Teachers provide plentiful opportunities for pupils to recall number facts quickly and accurately. They use a range of practical resources to embed new learning. As a result, pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of number and calculation skills. However,

p.5

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to apply their well-rehearsed number skills to solve mathematical problems or to reason about their strategies.  Not all teachers are equally adept at providing work to deepen the most-able pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding of key concepts in subjects other than English and mathematics.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful. There is a mutual and deep respect between pupils and adults, and pupils and their peers. This is because staff know individual pupils well, and want the very best for all pupils.  Pupils said that they feel safe and can talk confidently about how to keep safe, including when online. Pupils say that bullying is rare, and are confident that if they have a worry, adults will take it seriously.  Most parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, agreed that their children feel safe at school.  Pupils are proud of their school, and take pride in their work. Presentation across almost all subjects is of a high standard. Pupils relish opportunities to talk to visitors. They are inquisitive and enjoy asking questions, and sharing what they know.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 Pupils’ emotional well-being and self-esteem are developed very positively. For example, pupils use ‘learning powers’, which helps to develop their resilience. Pupils particularly value earning badges when they successfully demonstrate using these.  There are many opportunities for pupils to take on positions of responsibilities and contribute to school life. For example, pupils on the ‘charity committee’ decide which charities to support.  Pupils understand the importance of staying physically healthy through regular exercise and healthy eating. Many pupils engage in extra-curricular activities in and out of school hours. For example, pupils have weekly outdoor learning experiences in the woodland area.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils’ conduct and behaviour around the school are exemplary. At the start of the school day and at the end of breaktimes, pupils calmly enter their classrooms, and promptly start with their work.  The organisation of the playground into different sections helps pupils to make choices about what to play. Pupils enjoy using the wide range of equipment on offer. These well-established routines help pupils to behave responsibly and feel safe.  Leaders’ rigorous focus on improving pupils’ attendance has markedly reduced rates of absence. As a result, attendance is now above the national average.  Parents are very complimentary about pupils’ behaviour. They told inspectors how pleased they are with how the school looks after their children.

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

 The proportion of pupils who reached the required standard in the phonics screening check in 2018 was well above the national average. A large proportion of the current Year 1 pupils are also making similarly substantial progress in phonics. These outcomes reflect the systematic and high-quality phonics teaching in the school.  Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND make strong progress from their different starting points in a range of subjects. This is because leaders identify any barriers to learning that these pupils have. The additional funding received is used effectively to provide additional support to meet these pupils’ needs.  Pupils are avid readers. Increasingly, they read ambitious texts and learn to draw inferences from words and phrases. These skills are taught effectively, and are becoming embedded over time. For example, pupils in Year 2 are reading the novel ‘Charlotte’s Web’. As a result, most pupils in Year 2 read at above age-related

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

expectations.  Pupils write well and at length for a wide variety of purposes. The standard of written work across the curriculum is strong. Handwriting and presentation are of a high standard.  Pupils make good progress in mathematics. Number and calculation skills are taught well. However, pupils’ opportunities to reason about their work and solve mathematical problems are limited. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.  The school’s assessment information for current pupils, supported by inspection evidence, shows that pupils make good gains in a range of subjects. Work in pupils’ topic books shows that tasks set for the most able pupils in different subjects are not always well matched to their abilities. As a result, these pupils are not sufficiently challenged to deepen their understanding of key skills and knowledge in subjects other than English and mathematics.

p.6

Early years provision Outstanding

 Leadership in early years is resolute that all children will achieve highly. Leaders and staff know individual children’s needs precisely and put in place highly effective provision to support all learners. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the provision. They regularly assess its quality, and constantly seek to make further improvements.  A vibrant and well-planned learning environment, both indoors and outdoors, provides varied learning activities for children, which stimulates their imagination. They enjoy activities using an array of resources, such as constructing with planks and blocks, and experimenting with equipment in water trays. Children take great delight in measuring in the mud kitchen, or taking on role-play activities, including buying and selling in the ‘garden centre’.  Staff in early years have developed highly successful strategies to engage parents. Workshop opportunities provided by staff enable parents to develop their

p.7

Early years provision Outstanding

understanding of the curriculum, including the way in which children learn phonics.  Children’s relationships with adults are excellent. Children behave very well, and develop into independent, confident and creative learners. The sensitive guidance from adults helps children to understand that their actions have consequences. As a result, they are very cooperative, and work well in a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Staff are well trained in promoting children’s safety.  Teaching staff support children’s learning very effectively. They promote children’s social development well, encouraging them to share and take turns. Every opportunity is taken to engage children in conversation and to extend their vocabulary. As a result, children rapidly develop their speaking and listening skills, which prepares them well to write more effectively.  By the end of early years, children can read and understand simple sentences. They

p.7

Early years provision Outstanding

use their phonic knowledge to write their own sentences, spelling most familiar words correctly and making good attempts at new ones.  Teachers promote children’s number skills successfully through a wide range of activities. This improves children’s ability, for example, to halve or double numbers to 20.  Many children enter the school with skills and knowledge that are typical for their age. Teachers ensure that children, including those from vulnerable groups, make excellent progress. Consequently, almost all children achieve a good level of development, and many exceed it, across a range of learning areas. As a result, children are exceptionally well prepared for Year 1.

p.7

School details

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

p.9

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.9

Information about this school

 This school is part of the Oasis Community Learning multi-academy trust. It opened in September 2016 with one class in early years, and is expanding each year to become a two-form-entry primary school. Currently the oldest pupils are in Year 2.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is lower than the national average.

p.9

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in all lessons, many of which observations were undertaken jointly with school leaders.  Pupils’ work was reviewed during lessons, and further detailed scrutinies of pupils’ books were carried out with senior leaders. Pupils’ work in a range of subjects was included. Pupils’ work on display was also conosidered.  Pupils read to inspectors, and inspectors spoke with pupils throughout the inspection to gain their views.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during break- and lunchtimes was observed by inspectors.  Formal and informal discussions took place with senior leaders and the regional director of the trust.  Meetings and discussions were held with the senior leadership team, staff, parents and pupils. Inspectors held meetings with the regional director of the trust, as well as with the chair of the academy council. A further telephone call took place with the chief

p.10

Information about this inspection

executive officer of the trust.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s documentation on pupils’ achievement, teaching and learning, safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, minutes of governors’ meetings, the school’s self-evaluation, plans for improvement and external reviews of the school.  Inspectors considered the 65 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, as well as speaking to parents. No pupils or staff completed the Ofsted questionnaires. However, the school’s own pupil and staff surveys were considered.

p.10

Inspection team

Jenell Chetty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.10

Inspection team

Phil Garnham Her Majesty’s 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 .

p.10

Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

p.11

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.

p.11

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 .

p.11

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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.11

Inspection team

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 .

p.11

Inspection team

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

p.11

Inspection team

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

p.11

Inspection team

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

p.11