Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Miss Tina Lee Principal Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey Minster Road Minster-on-Sea Kent ME12 3JQ

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Ofsted visit to Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey

Following my visit with Clive Close, Her Majesty's Inspector (HMI), to your school on 13 September 2020, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to confirm the visit’s findings. Thank you for the time you made available to discuss your actions since September 2020, when the government expected all schools to open fully to all pupils.

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Ofsted visit to Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey

This visit was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted's published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections are temporarily suspended.

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Ofsted visit to Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey

Ofsted’s visits to schools during the autumn term are not inspections. We are not giving graded judgements. We did not undertake the usual range of inspection activities and were unable to check other sources of evidence, such as visits to lessons or looking at pupils’ work. The content of this letter gives an overview of our discussions about what has happened in your school this term.

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Ofsted visit to Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey

During the visit, we spoke to you, the executive principal, two assistant headteachers and a designated safeguarding leader. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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Context

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s education system is managing the return to full education for pupils following an extended break in formal schooling due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

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Context

In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

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Context

 approximately 1,200 schools across all Ofsted grades (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate)  maintained schools, academies and free schools, special schools and centres of alternative provision, including those in cities, and coastal, town or rural communities.

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Context

The information from this visit will feed into Ofsted’s national reporting so that the insights can be shared with the government and the education sector. We did not find any significant concerns during the visit. In such a case, an inspection report would be published on our website and available to parents and carers.

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Context

We did not consider your response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer terms 2020, when the school was not open to all pupils.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 You opened the school to Year 7, Year 11 and Year 13 pupils on 4 September 2020. By 7 September 2020 all year groups were in school. Apart from a very small number of pupils who currently attend on a part-time basis, pupils are expected to attend full time.  Pupils’ rates of attendance are slightly below those at this time last year. A small number of pupils have not yet returned to school. Staff have kept in regular contact with these pupils’ families to offer support so that they can return to school. At the time of the visit, some pupils from Year 11 and Year 13 were in isolation and working at home because of issues related to COVID- 19.  You have asked curriculum leaders to identify the knowledge that pupils have missed or do not remember from the previous academic year. In all subjects, curriculum leaders have re-organised learning in order to include this knowledge.  Pupils in Years 7 to 9 have returned to study a full range of subjects. You have

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

made some adaptations to the curriculum. For example, in English, teachers have identified the need to help pupils to improve their reading and have planned extra support.  In Years 10 and 11, pupils are studying the subjects that are normally offered. Teachers are focused on helping these pupils to catch up with the work that they have missed. You have prioritised meeting the needs of pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities because many have fallen further behind in their learning.  Students in Year 13 are continuing to study all of their examination courses. Year 12 students have begun to study the subjects that the school normally offers in the sixth form.  You have put plans in place to deliver the curriculum remotely if needed. These plans include online lessons delivered by staff. Pupils who are currently unable to attend school can access learning through the school’s online lessons or through paper-based resources.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

Thank you again for contributing to this important national work. The views and experiences you have shared will help to inform future policy.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, the chief executive officer of the Oasis Community Learning multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Kent. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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