Oxford School gets 'satisfactory' Ofsted rating (From The Oxford Times)

Oxford School gets 'satisfactory' Ofsted rating

6:21pm Friday 26th February 2010 in

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AN Oxford School which may be closed and reopened as an academy has retained its ‘satisfactory’ rating from Government inspectors Ofsted.

Oxford School, in Glanville Road, also received a ‘satisfactory’ rating for its capacity for sustained improvement – one of the key areas to pass which would otherwise encourage local authorities to look at options to turn a school around.

The school was rated as ‘good’ in five of the 28 areas assessed, including parental engagement and the effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

Inspector Helen Pennington said: “Since the last inspection, results for Students at Key Stage Four have improved and, although attainment remains low compared to national averages, it is set to continue to rise strongly.

“Students who sat their GCSE examinations in 2009 made very good progress given their starting points.”

The inspector added the school was working hard to improve the quality of learning and there had been a drop in persistent truants.

The school has the highest ‘contextual’ value-added score in the county, which means children at Oxford School make more progress there, taking into account their starting points, than at any other school.

Associate headteacher Maurice Dixon said the report was a tribute to staff and to pupils.

He said: “We are happy our successes have been recognised and the things they felt needed to be developed were things we know already.”

Initial plans to replace the school with an academy were thrown into turmoil when sponsors United Learning Trust pulled out, leading campaigners who oppose the plans to urge a rethink.

A new sponsor, CfBT, has now been found and an expression of interest produced between it and the council is likely to be submitted to the Government shortly.

Michael Waine, council cabinet member for schools improvement, said: “I'm very pleased the report recognises the positive work being carried out by the leadership team and the staff at Oxford School.

“However, the report is quite clear that the school’s capacity to further improve is only satisfactory, despite the current high level of support it receives.

“The future sustainability of the school is the issue as far as the county council is concerned and that is why an academy remains our preferred option.”

Only 68 parents chose the school as their first choice for the 2010 academic year. There are 210 places.

Anna Thorne, whose sons Ben and Lewis are in Year 11, welcomed the report because she believes it supports her view the school does not need to become an academy.

She said: “The main issue the county council has kept talking about is concerns whether improv-ement is sustainable – and it seems as though with the leadership they have got in place, Ofsted think it’s possible.”