A secondary school in northwest Bristol which went through a “period of turbulence” has seen its educational standards decline since its last inspection six years ago. Oasis Academy Brightstowe, in Shirehampton, was inspected on November 5 and 6 and was given a mixed Ofsted report.
The school was previously rated as ‘Good’ and maintained the ‘Good’ rating in the personal development and leadership and management key judgments. However, inspectors rated the quality of education and behaviour and attitudes at the school as ‘Requires Improvement’.
The secondary school has 746 pupils on its school roll, who move around the school calmly and arrive punctually to lessons. The pupils understand the raised expectations which the school recognises of them.
Oasis Academy Brightstowe has “reset the expectations for behaviour and learning” following an “unsettled time” for the school. The published outcomes for pupils in year 11 are low and the changed culture has not yet impacted results. But the higher expectations mean pupils’ achievement is improving.
The report said: “The stability of staffing helps pupils to feel happy and confident, as a result, suspension numbers have decreased significantly. The school responds promptly when pupils report bullying or derogatory behaviours. Pupils are well supported by the pastoral and safeguarding team and they feel safe in school.”
Ofsted described the school undergoing a “period of turbulence” which has been followed by the new leadership team beginning to get things back on track. Staff told inspectors that they value the support from the trust and the school. The staff team is now stable which means pupils build positive relationships with the adults, but some areas of school development need to be better embedded.
The curriculum is well sequenced and ambitious which sets out the learning it wants pupils to know on a lesson by lesson basis. Teachers use different strategies to check how well pupils remember learning but it is not fully effective and teachers do not have a full understanding of pupils’ knowledge.
The school has put in place new and more effective processes for identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This has led to an increase in the number of pupils identified as needing support and helped improve attendance and behaviour within pupils.
The report said: “Pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read receive the specific teaching they need to become better readers. This includes learning phonics, practising reading with fluency, and developing comprehension. As a result of this, pupils make progress with their reading.
“The school has adapted the mathematics curriculum for pupils who do not have a secure knowledge of basic numeracy. However, the curriculum does not fully meet pupils’ needs, because it does not include the knowledge some pupils most need to learn. As a result, some pupils do not develop their numeracy skills.
“The school has been relentless in its work to improve attendance as it has put in place robust and innovative strategies. From low starting points, attendance is improving and many pupils’ attendance has improved significantly. However, too many pupils do not attend school regularly which hinders their learning and prevents them from achieving well.”
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