Oasis Academy Immingham

Inspection of a good school: Oasis Academy Immingham Pelham Road, Immingham, North East Lincolnshire DN40 1JU

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 October 2021

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Outcome

Oasis Academy Immingham continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn the importance of respect and this is clear in the way they behave. They are polite and courteous to visitors. The site is calm and orderly. Pupils like the presence of staff on corridors at lesson changeover time. Pupils enjoy good relationships with staff. Pupils feel safe and well cared for. Pupils say that the pastoral staff are readily available and supportive. They trust them to sort out any bullying that might happen. Pupils are confident that adults will help them if they have worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders set high standards for pupils in all aspects of school life. Pupils respond well to the challenges set. This has led to many improvements in the school over recent years. There is now a clear behaviour policy, which pupils understand. Pupils like the fact that the policy includes rewards as well as sanctions. Pupils want to do well in lessons. Pupils enjoy the extra-curricular activities on offer. Many activities could not take place last year due to COVID-19. Some activities have restarted now at lunchtime and after school. The staff are working hard to increase the number of activities.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have a clear vision for the curriculum. They ensure that the curriculum caters for pupils’ academic and personal development. Pupils receive teaching in a broad range of subjects in key stage 3. Curriculum planning in each subject includes all the knowledge set out in the national curriculum. Leaders work hard to ensure that pupils follow the right courses for them in key stage 4. Leaders only offer qualifications that genuinely benefit the pupils. There is a broad range of option choices available, including courses for pupils who are more vocationally minded. Leaders have well-developed systems to check on the impact the curriculum is having. There are detailed curriculum plans in place for each subject. These show the sequence in which knowledge is to be taught. Curriculum leaders have identified the ‘golden nuggets’ of knowledge that teachers need to emphasise the most. Teachers use sensible strategies to revisit this knowledge regularly, so that pupils

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

can remember it. As a result, pupils can talk in detail about subjects they have studied. 13 and 14 October 2021

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The support provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. These pupils study the same curriculum as everyone else. Leaders provide teachers with up-to-date information on the needs of individual pupils. In mainstream lessons, teachers use this information to make the adjustments that pupils need. Leaders also use teaching assistants effectively to support pupils.

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Leaders have worked hard to reduce the number of pupils excluded. A small number of pupils attend off-site provision. Leaders work closely with the provider to ensure that pupils attend regularly and make appropriate progress. The number of pupils educated off site is falling. Since the pandemic restrictions eased, a sizeable minority of pupils have found it difficult to get back into the habit of regular attendance at school. Consequently, attendance levels are lower than before the pandemic.

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Leaders know that for many pupils, reading is a barrier to their learning. The school has some useful programmes in place to support a culture of reading. Individual departments have also developed strategies to develop reading. However, leaders know that there is more work to do in this area.

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Leaders ensure that the curriculum goes well beyond the academic. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum is delivered largely during tutor time. The programme is wide-ranging and includes statutory content about relationships, health and sex. These lessons also teach pupils about how to stay safe, online safety and the value of the law, mutual respect and tolerance. Pupils are also taught about careers. Teachers deliver this content in a plain-speaking manner. They give space for pupils to ask questions. Extra-curricular activities have started up again. Leaders are determined to increase the number of clubs and sports activities. Together, these opportunities are ensuring that there is wide-ranging provision for pupils’ personal development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Keeping pupils safe is the top priority in this school. The school has a culture of vigilance. Leaders ensure that all staff are well trained. As a result, staff understand a wide range of potential risks, including county lines, domestic violence and peer-on-peer abuse.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take prompt and appropriate steps to protect pupils at risk of harm. They work closely with external agencies. They keep detailed records of the actions they take. Leaders make sure that they complete all statutory vetting checks on adults who work in, or visit the school.

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Safeguarding

No stone is left unturned to keep pupils safe. 13 and 14 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have started to re-establish the programme of extra-curricular activities, with some new additions. However, pupil participation rates are not as high as leaders would want. Leaders should ensure that the extra-curricular programme caters for the needs of all pupils and as a result that participation rates increase.  Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in persistent absence. This group of pupils are missing important parts of their education. Leaders should focus on this group and work proactively with these pupils and their families to help these pupils improve their attendance.  Leaders have identified reading skills as a key barrier to learning and some departments have developed more extended reading tasks. However, this is not widespread enough and learners are not getting enough opportunity to read longer, more complex texts. Leaders should build on existing good practice and develop the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

use of extended reading texts more widely across the curriculum.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 13 and 14 October 2021

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 13 and 14 October 2021

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Date of previous inspection

21 and 22 April 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Oasis Community Learning Trust.  The school is smaller than the average-sized school, but the number on the school roll is increasing.  The school uses one alternative provider. Pupils attend Phoenix Park Academy, part of the Wellspring Trust.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the principal and other senior leaders. They also met with the national director and chief executive officer of the trust (via video link). The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with the executive vice-principal of the external provision. 13 and 14 October 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Additional visits were made to observe learning across some vocational subjects and the provision for PSHE in tutor time. We met with leaders for safeguarding and reviewed records of the school’s work to protect vulnerable pupils. The lead inspector looked at the record of vetting checks made on adults who work in the school. Meetings were held with pupils to explore their understanding of how to stay safe.  We looked at 61 responses to the pupil survey, 28 responses to the staff survey and 41 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey. We also took into account 41 free-text responses from parents and carers.

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Inspection team

David Pridding, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tricia Stevens Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 October 2021

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regulates and inspects to 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.

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