Oxford Road Community School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Oxford Road Community School 146 Oxford Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 7PJ

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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Outcome

Oxford Road Community School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at this school. They behave well in the playground as well as in their classrooms. Lessons are productive. Pupils listen to their teachers well, work hard and try their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school promotes its values, such as collaboration and respect, well. These values help pupils successfully learn how to treat others. Pupils treat everyone with kindness and respect, celebrating difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Building strong relationships is the backbone of the school’s work. This starts very well in early years. Children benefit from a warm and nurturing environment. They make secure attachments with adults. Pupils feel safe at school. Parents and carers value the work the school does for their children. The school wants the very best for every pupil. This is clear in staff’s actions and their warmth. Pupils learn and achieve well across the curriculum. This prepares them well for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities. For example, all pupils in Year 4 are learning how to play steel pans. The school makes the most of its locality, such as visiting Reading Museum to learn about Victorian schooling and the Romans.

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

The school has designed a rich and ambitious curriculum. Typically, this curriculum is well sequenced. All pupils, including those who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (specially resourced provision), access the full curriculum. This includes enrichment opportunities such as trips. The school makes sure pupils get the support they need to be successful academically, socially 19 and 20 November 2024

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and in their approach to learning. Staff identify those who may need additional support quickly and accurately. They have a secure knowledge of the barriers faced by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff help pupils understand their own needs and triggers well. Pupils with SEND learn well.

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The school has made sure that the progression of knowledge and skills is well sequenced in all subjects. However, there is, at times, too much content in the curriculum. The school has yet to narrow down and identify the most important knowledge for pupils to remember. This means that, in some subjects in the wider curriculum, teachers are not sure what to focus on to check that pupils have remembered key knowledge in the long term. This makes it hard for teachers to spot and plug gaps in pupils’ learning. The school is currently refining this aspect of the curriculum’s design.

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The teaching of reading is a priority. Pupils quickly become fluent and confident readers. This starts well in Nursery with pre-reading skills, such as listening out for sounds. Children in the early years engage with stories and rhymes enthusiastically. This fosters their love of reading and supports their early language skills well. Older pupils enjoy visiting the new school library to select a book to read. Pupil librarians love recommending books to others. The school has trained all staff to teach phonics skilfully. Teachers check pupils’ understanding to identify any gaps thoroughly. Staff provide useful support to help pupils to catch up.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development well. Pupils develop leadership skills through their roles as school councillors and ‘play leaders’. They make a difference to both their school and the wider community. The school prioritises pupils learning to care for their urban environment by taking part in local social enterprise projects, for example to understand how to create bee-friendly habitats. Pupils learn about democracy well. School council elections involve pupils writing manifestos and presenting them at a hustings event. Pupils then vote in polling booths. Everyone’s voice counts at Oxford Road.

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The school has robust measures in place to track and improve attendance. Pupils’ attendance is a high priority for all staff. Everyone is working hard to help the community understand the importance of attending school every day. Attendance has slightly improved this year. However, too many pupils remain persistently absent from school. They are missing out on important learning.

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Leaders know what is working well and what could be even better. There has been a high turnover in the governing body recently. Many governors are new to role. Governors are working with the local authority well to deepen their understanding of the quality of education in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 19 and 20 November 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few foundation subjects, the school has not identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to remember. This means that teachers cannot identify gaps in pupils’ learning clearly enough. The school should ensure that teachers know what pupils need to remember over time and use this to inform their teaching so that pupils learn even better across the curriculum.  Some pupils do not attend school often enough. This prevents these pupils from learning and achieving as well as they could. The school should continue to work with families to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in October 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. 19 and 20 November 2024

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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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Claire Hurst (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In September 2019, the school became part of The Federation of Oxford Road Community School & Wilson Primary School. The two schools share an executive headteacher and governing body. Some staff work across the two schools.  The school has a specially resourced provision, called ‘Maple and Willow’, for pupils with SEND who have severe learning difficulties. Currently there are 10 pupils who attend this provision. This provision opened in September 2023.  The deputy headteacher started in the role in September 2024. The chair of governors stepped up from vice-chair in September 2024.  The school has a Nursery for three- and four-year-old children.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the executive headteacher, the senior leadership team and staff. The inspector met with two representatives from the local authority. They also met with the chair of the governing body.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, including in the specially resourced provision, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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’ interest first.

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 The inspector considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments, and spoke with parents at the end of the school day. The inspector also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for school staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Lea Hannam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 2024

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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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