Primary academy run by major chain is placed in special measures

The inspection report into Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe, in Grimsby, rates the school as being inadequate in all the main inspection areas.

However the report says a newly appointed executive principal has started tackling weaknesses with “decisiveness and vigour.”

Mick Beresford is said to have transformed standards at an Oasis Academy in the North West.

The report says that “weak teaching over time has resulted in pupils failing to achieve as well as they should.” It adds: “From starting points broadly typical for children entering school, all pupil groups make inadequate progress and reach well-below-average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of year six.” It warns that as a result pupils leaving the school are not well prepared for secondary school. Ofsted inspectors also say the leadership of provision for pupils with special educational needs is weak.

Oasis Community Learning runs more than 40 academies including more then a dozen in the North. It was one of the academy chains Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw referred to when he raised concerns to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan about standards inside some schools within seven large multi-academy trusts.

A spokesman for Oasis Community Learning said the trust accepted Ofsted’s findings about Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe. He said: “While we regret that the academy has been judged to be inadequate, we were already aware of the weaknesses that the report has identified and a leadership change had recently taken place at the academy.

“Late last year, we appointed Mick Beresford to lead the academy as executive principal.

“Mick Beresford has an established track record of introducing real, radical and lasting improvement in schools which are struggling. Under Mick’s leadership, 100 per cent of final year pupils at Oasis Academy Aspinal achieved Level 4 in reading, writing and maths in 2015 – an increase of 74 percentage points on the previous year.

“Oasis is committed to providing the academy with an unprecedented level of support in order to ensure that standards rise rapidly and to correct other weaknesses found during the inspection.”

The Ofsted report also praises the behaviour of pupils as being one of the school’s strengths.