Oakfield School

Inspection of a good school: Oakfield School Forest Street, Shepshed LE12 9DB

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Outcome

Oakfield School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Oakfield School. They are happy, have friends and benefit from positive and productive relationships with staff. Pupils work and play with each other and with staff. At lunchtime, members of the school community eat together. Staff encourage pupils to have conversations, try new foods and develop good table manners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is very rare. Pupils have no concerns about bullying. They are confident that staff will quickly help them resolve any disputes that may arise. All pupils say there are members of staff they can talk to if they are worried about something or if someone is being unkind.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff help pupils to behave well in lessons and around the school. This allows pupils to focus on their learning and prepares them to return to mainstream education or to move on to an appropriate specialist setting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff support pupils so they are ready for the next stage of their education. Reading is at the heart of a broad curriculum. Staff skilfully tailor what pupils learn to fill any gaps they may have in their knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The vast majority of pupils have very high attendance. Pupils are helped to develop or rediscover positive learning habits.

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

Leaders have designed the curriculum to help pupils re-engage with learning and prepare them for their next steps in education. Learning is carefully sequenced within an appropriately flexible structure. Staff work well as a team. They use assessment effectively to help pupils address gaps in their knowledge. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Leaders and staff see reading as ‘the gateway to opportunity’. Reading is prioritised to allow pupils to access future learning. Pupils read regularly across the curriculum. They read to adults and to the school dog. They are also encouraged to read at home.

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Pupils understand the importance of reading and they are keen to do well. They value the rewards staff give them for completing quizzes after reading books. Pupils who need help to become fluent readers get the right support.

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Staff encourage confident readers to read with expression and make inferences from the texts they use. Pupils at the early stages of learning to read use their phonics knowledge to decipher words. Pupils are proud of their progress in reading. This boosts pupils’ self- esteem.

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The mathematics curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced. Staff are well trained to help pupils progress rapidly through the curriculum. Not all subjects are studied in the same depth as reading and mathematics. Sometimes, pupils have limited opportunities to practise and develop their writing.

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Pupils’ wider development is nurtured through a range of planned activities. They have opportunities to learn outside and take part in regular physical exercise. They participate in a variety of trips and visits. Staff deliberately promote important British values and provide spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Pupils learn about different cultures and religions. They develop tolerance and respect, taking responsibility for their own actions. Pupils discuss current affairs and understand the difference between right and wrong.

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Staff manage pupils’ behaviour very well. They have high expectations of pupils and use appropriate strategies to engage pupils with their learning. Low-level disruption is rare. There have been no suspensions or exclusions since the previous inspection.

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Pupils learn to regulate their own conduct. There are many examples of pupils who have significantly improved their behaviour. This has a positive impact on their academic achievement, and has allowed many pupils to successfully return to mainstream education.

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The school is well led and managed. Senior leaders understand the school’s strengths and areas needing development. They are taking effective action to continue to improve the school. Staff enjoy working at the school and value their professional development. They feel that leaders listen to them, are considerate of their workload and promote their well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school has a strong safeguarding culture. Staff are well trained and receive regular updates to help pupils to stay safe. Staff identify pupils who may need early help or who 17 and 18 January 2023

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are at risk of potential harm. Staff communicate well with each other and refer pupils in a timely way to organisations who have the expertise to provide further help.

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The curriculum is designed to help pupils reduce the risk of being harmed. Pupils learn about local, national and current issues to help them stay safe in the wider community and when using the internet. Pupils feel safe in school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum does not ensure that pupils have the opportunity to study all subjects to the same depth. Pupils do not develop their understanding as well as they could in some areas of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that pupils build their knowledge securely and deeply in all subjects.  Staff do not give pupils enough opportunities to produce written responses. Pupils do not develop their writing skills as rapidly as they could. Leaders should ensure that staff give pupils more opportunities to write 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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2014.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 17 and 18 January 2023

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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 January 2023

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Date of previous inspection

12 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher, two interim deputy headteachers and an interim assistant headteacher have been appointed.  The school recently moved to two new sites. One is situated at the school’s registered address in Shepshed. The other is at Belle Vue Road, Earl Shilton LE9 7PA.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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 leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the interim deputy headteachers, the interim assistant headteacher, subject leaders, groups of staff and a representative of the local authority. The lead inspector also spoke to the chair of the school’s management committee by telephone.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in their lessons and around school. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during lunchtime. 17 and 18 January 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, talked to staff, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Lessons were visited on both of the school’s sites. Inspectors also considered curriculum information for other subjects.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s safeguarding arrangements. They spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leaders for both sites and a deputy safeguarding leader. He reviewed the school’s safeguarding systems and the single central record.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation provided by the school, including leaders’ self-evaluation and development plan, minutes of meetings of the management committee, and documentation relating to behaviour, attendance and

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Inspection team

Simon Mosley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Moira Dales Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 January 2023

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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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