Oak Academy

Inspection of Oak Academy Duck Lane, Bournemouth, Dorset BH11 9JJ

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher at this school is Hayley Richley. This school is part of the Authentic Education Group, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Fay MacRitchie, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alison Beane. 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Oak Academy seeks to reinforce the core values of respect, courage, kindness and excellence in all areas of school life. It has reviewed the curriculum to make it more ambitious. This is beginning to address the low published outcomes for pupils. The trust has recently undergone significant changes of leadership. It is now able to provide greater support to the school and there has been an increase in the pace of improvement. However, at this time, many of the changes at the school have been made recently and therefore have had limited impact.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has raised expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils now understand what behaviour is unacceptable. Adults apply the behaviour policy fairly. As a result, the school is calm and pupils can learn without disruption. Pupils value the ‘oak points’ and the other rewards they are given for their good behaviour and contributions to school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in a range of extra-curricular activities, such as drama and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They enjoy chess, coding and podcast clubs, as well as taking part in a wide range of sports. Pupils appreciate that leaders have listened to them when planning new activities such as girls’ football. Pupils take on leadership roles within the school. The new year group prefects are keen to play their part in improving the school.

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

Pupils now study a broad curriculum. Subjects have set out what pupils will learn in each year. However, as much of this curriculum change has been recent, older pupils who studied the previous curriculum have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. While the school is aware of this and seeking to support pupils, it is hindering their ability to learn new content.

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

The checks that teachers make to see if pupils understand are not accurately identifying what pupils know and can do. This means that the work pupils are given is not closely matched to their starting points. Some pupils are repeating work that they have already grasped. Other pupils are given difficult work without the support that they need to complete it successfully.

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

Pupils read regularly. The weakest readers are quickly identified and supported to improve their reading accuracy and confidence. This helps pupils to catch up and keep up with their peers. Pupils enjoy sharing books as a class. Pupils with English as an additional language receive additional support to develop their confidence with subject vocabulary so that they can learn the curriculum.

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

The school identifies the individual needs of pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, the curriculum is not adapted well enough to support these pupils to learn as well as they might.

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

Raising attendance is a priority for the school. It has significantly strengthened its monitoring systems to identify concerns with attendance quickly. The school supports 19 and 20 November 2024

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pupils and their families effectively so that both overall absence and persistent absence are falling. Pupils are increasingly showing positive attitudes towards their learning.

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Pupils are prepared for adult life through their ‘Learning for Life’ lessons and enrichment activities. For example, they learn about healthy relationships and different cultures. Pupils understand the importance of fundamental British values and tolerance. They have trusted adults who they can talk to. The school considers the local context to identify what pupils should know to keep themselves safe. This includes recent workshops about knife crime, for example.

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Pupils learn about the world of work. They meet employers through assemblies and work experience. Impartial careers advice supports pupils to consider all the options for post- 16, including apprenticeships.

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The school has begun to make improvements across many areas of its work. Leaders have been considerate of staff workload and well-being when implementing changes. Staff value professional development opportunities and are keen to take part in upcoming trust-wide projects. However, the systems that are in place to monitor and review the impact of these changes are in their infancy. This means that the trust and those responsible for governance do not have a clear view of what is working well and what is not.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not adapted precisely enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Consequently, these pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they might. The school should ensure that support for pupils with SEND is consistently effective.  Assessment within the classroom does not help adults accurately identify pupils’ starting points or gaps in their knowledge and understanding. This means that some pupils do not receive the support or challenge they need to learn as well as they should. The school should make sure that routine checks for understanding are effective to help pupils achieve more highly across the curriculum.  The school currently does not have sufficient systems in place to accurately monitor and review the quality of education within the school. This means that this school is unclear of what is working well and where further improvements may be needed. The trust should ensure that leaders at all levels, including governance, can accurately

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

monitor, assess and challenge the quality of education provided. 19 and 20 November 2024

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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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 July 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Authentic Education Group multi-academy trust. There have been significant changes in leadership and governance in the trust in the last year.  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 uses five unregistered alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with school leaders at all levels. Inspectors also spoke with teaching staff, support staff, trust executive leaders and a representative of the trust board.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils, including representatives from the pupil leadership group.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also visited additional lessons and tutor periods to consider the effectiveness

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of the wider curriculum.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime and breaktimes.  Inspectors viewed a range of school documentation, including the minutes of governance meetings and the school’s self-evaluation documents.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the view 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 considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, as well as responses to the staff survey and pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Sara Berry, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Leanne Mills 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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