Oaks Park High School

Inspection of Oaks Park High School Damson Way, Carshalton SM5 4NS

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Amit Amin. This school is part of Cheam Academies Network, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Rebecca Allott, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Richard Beer. 12 and 13 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school. Pupils are happy here. They speak positively about how much the school has improved over time. Staff have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well looked after and kept safe. Bullying is rare, but should it occur, it is taken seriously and dealt with effectively. Staff know their pupils well, and they build positive relationships with them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is orderly. Most pupils focus well on their learning, follow staff’s instructions and respond to the school’s high expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ views play an important part in the development of the school. For example, in Year 7, the ‘make a change’ project involved pupils working with leaders to improve the range of healthy options that were made available in the canteen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get involved in a range of clubs and trips to develop their interests and talents. The offer includes sports, arts, books and crafts.

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better?

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. It has designed a curriculum that sets out high academic expectations. Leaders are currently working with the trust to help recruit and develop more staff expertise so that they can widen the overall curriculum offer further.

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better?

Leaders have considered the important knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. Teachers ensure that pupils make connections with previous learning to build on their understanding. Across the curriculum from Year 7 to Year 13, teachers ensure that pupils have frequent and purposeful opportunities to revisit important concepts. This helps pupils to develop their thinking and remember key knowledge in a subject. Pupils achieve well overall. However, in a few subjects, the curriculum that pupils study lacks depth. As a result, in this small number of subjects, pupils are not acquiring the depth of knowledge and skills that they should.

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better?

Currently, the proportion of pupils studying the English Baccalaureate is low. Leaders recognise that this is largely due to the lower numbers of pupils opting to study a modern foreign language. They are reviewing the curriculum for languages with the aim of ensuring that more pupils study languages at GCSE.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. This is reflected in their high-quality explanations of subject content. They also use assessment well. For example, using 12 and 13 October 2023

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their checks on pupils’ learning, they select resources and tasks that help pupils, including those in the sixth form, to develop and apply their learning.

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Leaders make sure that teachers receive up-to-date training in supporting pupils with SEND. Pupils’ needs are identified well. The school uses ‘pupil passports’ to give teachers the information that they need to adapt their teaching and cater appropriately for pupils’ needs. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

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The school identifies effectively those pupils who need further help with learning to read. These pupils are well supported in becoming more confident and fluent readers.

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Pupils are respectful and polite. They understand the school’s expectations in terms of conduct and behaviour, and this is reflected in the way that most pupils focus and engage during lessons. There are a few instances where low-level disruption is not managed consistently well. When this happens, it affects how well these pupils are able to focus on their learning.

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Leaders prioritise attendance. They have clear systems in place to identify and deal with absence quickly. In the sixth form, students have positive attitudes towards their education. They have high levels of attendance, achieve well in national examinations and are being prepared effectively for their next steps.

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The school has carefully designed a personal, social, health and economic education curriculum to promote pupils’ wider development. Pupils are taught a range of topics in an age-appropriate way, including subject content related to relationships, how to stay safe online and looking after their mental health. The school’s careers programme ensures that pupils learn about a range of future options for careers and continuing their education further, including apprenticeships.

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The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, including sports, chess and the arts. Pupils and students in the sixth form undertake national and international educational visits to places such as universities, art galleries and museums.

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Those responsible for governance are knowledgeable and understand their roles. For example, they work well with leaders to engage staff about improvement priorities. Leaders consider staff’s workload and well-being. Staff feel supported and appreciate the training opportunities provided, including those offered by the trust.

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The school is currently working to develop the small number of areas in Years 7 to 9 where the curriculum needs further depth .

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 12 and 13 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the curriculum lacks depth. As a result, pupils do not build up the deep body of knowledge and skills that they should. The school must ensure that a rigorous body of subject knowledge and skills is identified and then explicitly taught in these subjects.  Occasionally, expectations of pupils’ behaviour are not high enough. As a result, some low-level disruption is not dealt with effectively and interrupts these pupils’ learning. The school must ensure that its behaviour policy is implemented consistently.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 12 and 13 October 2023

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,304

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Cheam Academies Network from September 2019, opening as a new school at that time.  Oaks Park High School converted to become an academy in 2016. When its predecessor school, Stanley Park High, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The school uses three registered alternative provisions.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. The provision 12 and 13 October 2023

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders and representatives of the local governing body. Inspectors spoke with teaching and support staff, including some teachers who are at the early stages of their teaching careers. The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, history, modern foreign languages, science and art. They held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons and spoke with teachers and pupils about their learning. Inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work. The curriculum in other

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Information about this inspection

subjects was also evaluated.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors looked at records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour. They also met with leaders to discuss their programme for pupils’ wider development.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors considered the views of staff and pupils through meetings and informal discussions, as well as their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Jeffery Quaye, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kevin Burke Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 October 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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