Ofsted announcement for Oakwood in time for first birthday celebrations
Oakwood celebrated its first birthday recently with not just the customary cake but also the publication of their first Ofsted report, delivering a verdict of outstanding in all areas. What made the joint celebrations even more special though was the fact that the last 12 months had seen countless tales of success and achievement for the young people who attend the learning centre and live in one of the two 52 week children’s homes on site.
The official report was glowing in its praise for the integrated provision highlighting a range of key areas where staff and young people had excelled.
A summary of the key findings included:
• Teaching, learning and assessment are outstanding. Teachers use the school’s assessment framework very effectively to plan lessons, check pupils’ progress and set targets.
• Teaching responds to pupils’ individual needs and results in outstanding progress.
• Pupils have made outstanding progress in a very short time. They have significantly exceeded expected progress for those with similar starting points.
•Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding. Pupils make significant gains from a very low starting point in their self-esteem and self-confidence. In turn, this helps them to reengage with learning and make outstanding progress.
• Leaders and managers have successfully provided a pathway to positive educational and social outcomes for pupils who joined the centre with challenging behaviour and educational underachievement.
• Pupils say that they feel safe and know how to report concerns. They practise democracy and they are key contributors to the positive atmosphere in the centre.
• Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching in the centre through regular performance monitoring. The quality of teaching has a significant impact on pupils’ outcomes.
To have received such a glowing appraisal on their first Ofsted inspection is really confirmation that Oakwood has already firmly established itself as not just an excellent educational provision but also a place where young people’s lives are being turned around through a creative approach, evidenced from the moment you enter the learning centre and hear the classical music playing throughout to provide a calming and contemplative atmosphere.