Ofsted has visited Oasis Academy Oldham and praised staff and students for the improvement journey the school is on.
The inspection is the first time Ofsted has returned to the Academy since it was found to have serious weaknesses late last year. This time, however, the Inspection Team has left the school reporting that“there is no doubt that leaders, together with the trust, have already taken a range of actions to bring about improvement.”
Amongst the very positive comments in the report, the Inspectors noted that the Academy is:
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“...putting high-quality teaching and learning across key stage 3 and 4 at the centre of all theactions in the school improvement plan.”
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Adopting a new curriculum that “is focussed on the development of leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication skills”.
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Engaging staff who say that “there has been a real sense of positive change. They feel that you (the Principal) is taking considered action to meet the needs of pupils more effectively.”
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“Improving the focus on pupils’ behaviour.” The move to a year group structure will also “allow pastoral leaders to gain an overview of pupils’ progress through their learning.” In addition, teachers say that pupils’ behaviour is “already improving through the use of the new achievement assemblies.”
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Benefitting from the “ongoing support from the improvement section of the Trust (Oasis Community Learning). The impact of the support is stringently monitored in the half-termly meetings of the Trust Improvement Group
Dominque Gobbi, Principal, said: “This is a very important milestone. When the Inspectors presentedtheir report to us after their last visit, we made the commitment that we would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that our students had access to a high standard of education.
“While there is still work to do, and we do not shy away from that, we are delighted that the inspection team recognised that we have a relentless focus on school improvement and our actions are starting to have an impact.
“Above all, I’m heartened that our staff and students told inspectors that they feel we are on a very positive trajectory. This collective focus is at the centre of our progress”.
The report also notes that the Oasis Community Learning are providing support and holding leaders to account. As a result, Ofsted conclude that “leadership has placed the school in a strong position to bring about improvement.”
Helen Arya, Oasis Community Learning’s Regional Director for the North West, said: “I would like to congratulate Oasis Academy Oldham’s community on the way they have approached the challenges that have been set by Ofsted.
“Our staff, under Miss Gobbi’s leadership, are embracing the changes at the Academy and they are having a real impact. Most importantly of all, the students are clearly benefitting from the progress that has been made so far. This is, however, just the start. We have the plans in place to ensure that the school goes from strength-to-strength.”