The Oaks Academy is a 'Good' school

The Oaks Academy received a ‘Good’ Ofsted judgment following its inspection on 16th and 17th April 2024. A monumental decision for the school after many challenging years. The following information pack provides detailed information on the background to the school, its ‘Journey to Good’, key quotes and statements from the Ofsted report.

Background to The Oaks Academy

For many years The Oaks Academy, or as its previous incumbent, Kings Grove School had a history of failed Ofsted inspections, with either an ‘inadequate’ outcome or being placed into ‘special measures’.

Peter Kingdom was appointed Headteacher of The Oaks Academy in January 2021. On joining the school, Peter was met with a number of major challenges around behaviour, attendance well below national average, safeguarding concerns and high levels of pupil exclusions. The school environment was also very tired and in need of major refurbishment. In addition, the school was having a major challenge as pupils had returned very unsettled following the disruption from the first Covid lockdown.

Journey to ‘Good’

Working closely with Trust leaders, and a restructured, newly appointed school leadership team, Peter implemented a strategy to get the school to a ‘Good’ Ofsted outcome. This was achieved within three and a half years. To do this the school leadership changed the culture of the school from a broken one to one underpinned by its vision of ‘inspire, believe, achieve’.  The team prioritised five core areas for improvement: safeguarding & inclusion; behaviour; attendance; teaching & learning; and personal development.  Strong leadership and a pupil-centred approach was pivotal to bringing about change, with an emphasis on a clear vision and values, comprehensive strategic planning, robust quality assurance and staff wellbeing and development. 

1.    Safeguarding and Inclusion

• Created a safe and nurturing environment for all pupils particularly the most vulnerable. 
• Worked closely with other agencies to support our most vulnerable pupils.
• Ensured all pupils including those with SEND were fully integrated in school life.

2.    Behaviour

• Built a behaviour culture based on positivity and self-regulation. 
• Introduction of a behaviour curriculum to teach pupils expectations of behaviour based on the three golden rules: listen; be polite; and follow instructions.
• Restructured the pastoral team to ensure it was fit for purpose with a visible senior staff presence.
• Re-timetabled the school day to create a calm environment and reinforce basic routines. 

3.    Attendance

• Ensured a warm, friendly welcome to pupils every morning.
• Tracked attendance with a particular focus on first day absence, welfare and hard-to-reach pupils.  
• Completed home visits and encouraged pupils back into school at every opportunity. 

4.    Teaching & Learning

• Curriculum redrafted to be ambitious, broad and connected and designed to meet the needs of all learners including SEND. 
• Rewrote programmes of study based on a five-year curriculum and informed by the National Curriculum. 
• Focus on knowledge, recall and retention through ‘Share-Build-Practise’ teaching model.
• Redesigned and newly resourced Learning Resource Centre relocated to the centre of the site – placing literacy at the heart of the school. 

5.    Personal Development 

• Personal Development defined as a CHARACTER Curriculum broken down into separate strands of SMSC, Behaviour Curriculum, Citizenship, RESPECT Values, PSCHE Curriculum and extra- curricular and enrichment. 
• Strong careers and post-16 programme for all year groups.
• Programme of extensive extra-curricular activities, including Duke of Edinburgh. 
• Engaging pupil voice and commitment, for example, through student leadership team. 

  

 

Mr Kingdom - Headteacher

"The Oaks Academy has been on a transformational journey and we are delighted with the outcome of this Ofsted inspection which does reflect the amazing work being done here. My thanks go to everyone who has made this possible. We will continue to build on our success towards ongoing excellence."

Mr Thomas, CEO of The Learning Partnership

"The Learning Partnership congratulates Peter and his team on this incredible achievement for The Oaks Academy. Thanks also go to the school governors for their contribution to this landmark outcome, which is the most favourable Ofsted inspection outcome in the school’s history."

Mr Austin – Head of History

"I have taught here since 2012 and the journey we have been on in the past 3 years has changed the school significantly. We have been working incredibly hard in the right direction and it has been so worth it."

Ms Archer – Curriculum Team Leader

"The ‘Good’ Ofsted judgement is monumental for the school and also for the local community. We have worked tirelessly to improve the school beyond recognition. The outcome makes me proud to be from Crewe as well as being a member of staff here. This is a school in which it is a privilege to work, and hearing the outcome was the most memorable feeling of my career."

Mr Moss – Teacher of PE 

"Receiving the ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted is the best moment in all my 20 years of working at The Oaks. It is now such a totally different school: staff and pupils have faith in the Leadership team. We are building the pupils’ aspirations and that is such good news."

Mrs Abberley – Assistant Headteacher

"We are a close-knit, caring school where your child is an individual and not just a number. Staff invest time and energy in getting to know your child and as such we are a tight-knit community."

Mr Street – Director of Key Stage 4

"I was a pupil here and I still live locally, and this is a very proud moment for the school and local community. This is because now, right on their doorstep, they have a school of choice."