Oasis Academy Fir Vale

Inspection of Oasis Academy Fir Vale Owler Lane, Fir Vale, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S4 8GA

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 November 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 17 and 18 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Oasis Academy Fir Vale is a welcoming school at the very heart of the community it serves. Pupils enjoy learning in an environment where they are very well supported. Pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are skilled in the way they support pupils. The vast majority of pupils speak English as an additional language. Those new to the country often have had no formal schooling. Staff waste no time in developing pupils’ skills to enable them to be successful learners. One parent, reflecting the view of others, stated, ‘This school has got my daughter back on track.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and welcoming, and they have a very positive attitude to learning. When bullying occurs, pupils know adults are quick to sort out the problems. Parents and carers are positive about behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff provide exceptional opportunities to support pupils’ personal development. There is an extensive range of well-planned activities to support this. The Oasis ethos, promotion of the school’s nine ‘habits’ and many aspects of the curriculum support pupils to be able to thrive in modern society.

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better?

Leaders and staff are committed to the school and its pupils and community. They are determined to give pupils the best start.

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better?

Staff have worked hard to develop a curriculum which is exciting for pupils. Staff provide a wealth of rich experiences which spark pupils’ curiosity. Leaders are very clear how subjects should be taught. Because of this, there is an effective, consistent approach to teaching across the school.

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better?

Subjects are planned carefully, and, as a result, what pupils learn is broken down into small steps. Leaders make sure developing pupils’ vocabulary is always prioritised. For example, staff provide pupils with an overview of what they are going to learn, including key words that are important. Pupils have frequent opportunities to revisit and practise previously taught skills. Staff check pupils’ understanding and give them extra help if needed. In some subjects, assessment information is used inconsistently.

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better?

Leaders ensure reading is the key priority. Pupils are given opportunities to practise their reading skills in most lessons. The teaching of phonics is effective. Phonics is taught as soon as pupils start school. For some pupils, who have just arrived in the country, this can be in key stage 2. Pupils make rapid improvements. Reading books are accurately matched to pupils’ reading ability. When they start to struggle, extra support is provided swiftly, which helps pupils catch up. Leaders have carefully chosen high-quality books for pupils to read. For example, taken from the text they 17 and 18 November 2021

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were reading, pupils in Year 6 discussed the meaning of ‘anonymity’, ‘eccentric’ and ‘orphan’. On a daily basis, pupils enjoy teachers reading to them.

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Mathematics is taught effectively. Teachers are quick to alter lessons to address any gaps pupils have in their knowledge or understanding. Teachers make sure pupils are challenged.

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Teachers both adapt lessons and provide extra support to meet the needs of all pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported effectively. Leaders work with external agencies to help these pupils do well.

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There is a clear focus in Nursery and Reception on the development of language. Adults support children to settle into their new surroundings and to be ready for learning. Children are happy, curious and play well together. Adults spend time with parents and carers to show them how they can help with children’s learning.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and focus on their learning. For the few pupils who sometimes need extra guidance, highly skilled staff use consistent approaches to support these pupils. Staff provide support to ensure that pupils attend regularly, and most pupils do. However, there are a few pupils who regularly miss school.

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Leaders provide exceptional opportunities for pupils’ personal development. Pupils are very proud of their roles in school, which include acting as interpreters, peer mediators and well-being ambassadors. There is an active school parliament, and, as a result, pupils feel they actively contribute to improvements in the school. The school offers a wide range of clubs, some of which are based on pupils’ own interests. Some clubs take place during the school day to enable more pupils to participate. Staff plan trips and other events to widen pupils’ experiences and raise aspirations.

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The school is well led and managed. The staff are an enthusiastic and well- motivated team who feel very much valued by leaders. Leaders are effective in both supporting staff well-being and reducing the staff’s workload. Leaders know the school’s strengths and areas in need of further development. Teachers at the beginning of their careers are well supported by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed a culture where safeguarding is the responsibility of all. There are efficient and effective systems in place to enable leaders to support pupils and their families quickly. Leaders work tirelessly to access the support families need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. The curriculum has been developed to reflect pupils’ needs. For example, a high priority is given to teaching pupils about dental hygiene. 17 and 18 November 2021

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Leaders carry out the required checks before staff start working at the school. The school has comprehensive records, which are regularly checked.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not all subject leaders use assessment effectively. As a result, not all subject leaders know what pupils do well and what they need to improve. Leaders need to ensure consistency across all subjects so that information from assessments is used to highlight gaps in learning and inform subsequent teaching.  Over time, leaders have successfully focused on improving attendance. However, a number of pupils are frequently absent, and, because of this, they do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders should continue to sharpen their focus on improving attendance for these pupils so that they benefit from the school’s curriculum and achieve their potential.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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 .

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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. 17 and 18 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200671 Type of school Primary

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 February 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school 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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the principal and the deputy and assistant principals. The lead inspector had a meeting with the regional director, the national director for primaries and the chief executive officer of the trust who attended the meeting online.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, science and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to 17 and 18 November 2021

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teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at further samples of pupils’ work in English and geography.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader to discuss the school’s policies and procedures. Documentation was scrutinised and evidenced how the school identifies and supports pupils at risk of harm. Inspectors spoke with a range of pupils and staff to evaluate the school’s safeguarding culture.  The lead inspector met with the operations manager to check the school’s single central record to make sure that all staff had the appropriate checks to work with children.  The views of staff were considered from conversations and 31 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors spoke to parents during the inspection. In addition, 26 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, including written responses, were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Andy Taylor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Ashworth Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 November 2021

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