Oakfield High School and College

Inspection of an outstanding school: Oakfield High School and College Long Lane, Hindley Green, Wigan, Greater Manchester WN2 4XA

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Outcome

Oakfield High School and College continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Oakfield High School and College is a serene and inspiring place where pupils, including students in the sixth form, flourish. All pupils who attend the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this school because staff understand and meet their needs exceptionally well. Staff build strong, supportive and nurturing relationships with pupils. This helps pupils to feel listened to, valued and respected. Pupils are very happy to attend school each day and they greet their teachers with a smile in the morning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has the highest expectations of what pupils can achieve. Staff expect pupils to work hard and behave exceedingly well. Pupils rise to this challenge. Pupils achieve highly from their various starting points. They are respectful of others, and they conduct themselves admirably at social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities to take on positions of responsibility. Pupils from the 'mega council’ spoke with passion and enthusiasm about the difference that they have made to life at school. For example, members of the eco-council have ensured that the paper used in school is recycled. In addition, pupils in the LGBTQ+ group have helped staff to source an increasingly diverse range of books in the school library.

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

The school has designed a highly ambitious and effective curriculum. It has thought carefully about the important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn. The curriculum helps staff to prepare pupils extremely well for the next phase of their education.

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

Staff have a detailed understanding of the curriculums that they deliver. They use their strong subject knowledge to provide clear explanations to pupils. Furthermore, staff make 2 and 3 July 2024

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regular and systematic checks on what pupils know and remember. Staff use this information well to address any gaps or misconceptions that may arise in pupils’ understanding. Pupils build their knowledge securely over time. Pupils gain an impressive range of qualifications that prepare them well for further education, training, including apprenticeships, or employment.

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There is a strong culture of reading among pupils and staff. The school has successfully prioritised reading and ensures that pupils experience the joys that reading can bring. Pupils read regularly and with enthusiasm. For example, they are keen to make the most of the recently renovated library and the outdoor reading pods.

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Those pupils at the early stages of learning to read receive excellent help to develop their phonics knowledge successfully. These pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds that they already know. This helps them to become increasingly confident communicators and fluent readers.

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Staff are meticulous in their diligent use of assessment information, including the information in pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans. Staff use this information to design highly appropriate activities that support pupils to learn the curriculum successfully. The school ensures that staff are cognisant of any changes in pupils’ additional needs. Pupils benefit from the expertise of a wide range of professionals that further improves the package of support that pupils receive. For example, staff work closely with occupational and speech and language therapists to enhance the strategies that they use to meet pupils’ needs. The staff’s use of sensory programmes helps pupils to self-regulate their behaviour and focus on their learning in classrooms.

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The school expects all pupils to attend school regularly. To this end, it does all that it can to make sure that this is the case. The school monitors pupils’ rates of attendance closely. Staff work collaboratively with parents and carers, and external agencies, to improve the attendance of those pupils who struggle to attend regularly. Those pupils who benefit from this personalised support successfully improve their attendance rates at school over time.

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The school’s programme to promote pupils’ personal development is exemplary. The school prioritises pupils’ personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education exceptionally well. Pupils learn how to look after their own physical and mental health. Staff take great care to ensure that pupils, and students in the sixth form, have an age- appropriate understanding of healthy relationships.

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Pupils relish the opportunity to learn about fundamental British values through visits from a range of guest speakers, such as emergency services personnel. Differences between people are understood and celebrated. For example, pupils learn about cultural traditions and faiths that are different to their own. Pupils are prepared very well for life in modern Britain. They access a comprehensive programme of careers education which includes suitable work experience opportunities. This helps pupils, and students in the sixth form, to make well-informed choices about their futures. 2 and 3 July 2024

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The school is appropriately supported and challenged by an experienced governing body. Governors have a clear understanding of their roles, and they execute them well. Staff value the regular training that they receive. They appreciate the steps that leaders take to help them to manage their workload and to look after their well-being. Staff are enormously proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 outstanding in April 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.

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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). 2 and 3 July 2024

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Appropriate authority The governing body

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Headteacher Sue Allen (executive principal)

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Lee Hunt (head of school) Website www.oakfield.wigan.sch.uk

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Date of previous inspection 16 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 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 does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school provides for pupils with a broad range of SEND. This includes specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, autism, social emotional and mental health needs and speech, language and communication needs. Some pupils have hearing and visual impairments or physical disabilities. All pupils have an EHC plan. 2 and 3 July 2024

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s educational provision.  Inspectors discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, other senior leaders, staff, pupils and members of the governing body.  An inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects. An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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 spoke to staff about pupils’ behaviour and their workload in school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey. They took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors considered the views of pupils through discussions held with pupils during the inspection. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Sharples, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Emma Gregory Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 July 2024

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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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