Oxford Spires Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 November 2023

Oxford Spires Academy is a highly inclusive school and pupils describe it as a 'beautiful community'. The school environment is aspirational and supportive, and pupils are happy to attend. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are fully immersed in the same learning and enrichment activities as their peers. The school holds high expectations of what pupils can achieve, and pupils live up to these. The school has ensured that pupils study an ambitious and enriching curriculum that is well suited to their needs and prepares them well for their next steps. Pupils, and particularly those who speak English as an additional language, achieve very well. Pupils know that all adults have high expectations of them. Leaders make sure that pupils' well-being and safety are given top priority. Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils live up to these expectations and conduct themselves respectfully. Routines are clearly understood and followed. The school works well with external agencies to give families any support that they might need. Pupils in Year 7 talk about how well they have been supported to settle in to the school.

What the school should improve

• The wider support for students in the Sixth Form is too varied. This means that while students do learn effectively, they could do even better. The school should ensure that support for students is more consistent.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not attend as well as they could. Consequently, they do not always remember their learning sufficiently or benefit fully from the rich wider personal development opportunities offered by school. The school must ensure that disadvantaged pupils' attendance improves so that they can increase their achievement and take up the opportunities offered by the school.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)