Forward

Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infantscame into being on 1st February 2013. The predecessor school, Blakenhale Infants School, then passed into history and no longer exists.

The word ‘Academy’ in our new name defines what we are to ourselves and the community: a place of higher learning where everybody does their best.

As part of the Oasis family of academies, we have the privileged opportunity to create a new, forward-looking, dynamic, mind-set in terms of who and what we are and what we will achieve in terms of success for our pupils and their families.

We want Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infants(OABI) to be a place where everyone strives to create a ‘can do’ belief system for all children by providing varied opportunities and experiences, using the whole school environment, and beyond, to support achievement and learning. A place where all stakeholders play an essential role in ensuring the children are happy, and feel safe, through good practice which centres around care, guidance and support of ‘the whole child’. Our mission is to raise aspirations within our community of families and prepare our pupils for lifelong learning through development of key skills; which, when applied, create independent learners and thinkers of the future. We strive to achieve this through providing the children with good and outstanding teaching and an exciting, global curriculum relevant to the twenty first century.

We want to think of ourselves, and to be thought of by others, as a place where our children increasingly take ownership of their own learning; where they question if they don’t understand, where they actively seek answers, where they challenge teachers and their peers if they think something is wrong, where they share ideas and where they engage in hypothetical thinking to stimulate their imagination.

These aren’t aspects of education that children should start to do only when they get to 6th form college or university; they’re something that they should start to do and develop from the moment they become conscious that they have an enquiring mind. Children have enormously creative, curious brains and it’s an important part of our job to wake up this consciousness within them as early as possible; wake it up, nourish it, encourage it, and ensure it thrives and continues to grow.

Oasis AcademyBlakenhale Infants isn’t going to be a place of passive learning or received wisdoms. We’re going to make it a place where children first become conscious of the raw excitement and stimulation of learning, growing, and understanding our world and our place within it.

Oasis AcademyBlakenhale Infants children are pupils because we encourage them academically, intellectually and socially to increasingly develop themselves as active not passive learners; active learners who play a central role in achieving their own potential and ambition.

Clare Hoods-Truman

Executive Principal

Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infants

Contents

Page(s)

Forward2

Purpose, Ethos and Values and Education Charter4

Academy Dates7

The Academy Timetable8

Directed Time9

Staff Routines9

Staff Induction9

Communication Protocols10

Daily Expectations11

Marking the Register11

Start of Term Checklist (Pupils)11

Start of Year Checklist (Staff)11

Meetings12

Staff Code of Conduct13

Academy Uniform15

Wet Breaks17

Staff Duty Rota17

Fire Drills17

First-Aiders17

The Curriculum Model for Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infants 17

Teaching and Learning Guidance18

Pupil Progress Meetings19

Pupil Assessment & Reporting20

Planning, Preparation & Assessment Time22

Deployment of Teaching Assistants23

Evaluating Quality of Teaching23

What Good Teaching Learning Looks Like25

Formal Lesson Observations25

Policies25

Complaints Procedures (Parents/Carers)26

Grievance Procedure (Staff)26

Glossary of Terms27

Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infants - Purpose, Ethos and Values

‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ Nelson Mandela.

The Oasis Education Charter:

Oasis Community Learning is one of the Oasis family of charities that is now established on five continents, providing education, health, housing and youth and community services. Oasis Community Learning is responsible for the Oasis Academies.

Fundamental to all Oasis activities are five core values at the heart of the Oasis Ethos:

  • A passion to include everyone
  • A desire to treat everyone equally, respecting differences
  • A commitment to healthy and open relationships
  • A deep sense of hope that things can change and be transformed
  • A sense of perseverance to keep going for the long haul

The Education Charter is the foundation document for Oasis Community Learning and the Oasis Academies. It is an expression of:

  • Our inspiration
  • Our guiding principles
  • The framework for what we seek to do with the children, young people and families that we serve

The Education Charter was developed during 2009 with contributions from:

  • Pupils, staff, parents/carers, businesses and other members of the Academy communities
  • Principals and Executive Officers of Oasis Community Learning
  • Other parts of the Oasis family in the UK and abroad

Our Values

  • We are motivated by the life, message and example of Jesus Christ
  • Learning, achievement, personal fulfilment and good citizenship are at the heart of all that we do
  • We want to serve our children, young people, families and local communities with love, optimism, enthusiasm and integrity
  • We aspire to the following in all our educational work:

HEALTHY BODY, HEALTHY MIND – PROMISING FUTURES

TRANSFORMING LIVES

Every person matters and we value everyone in the Oasis Academies

  • Creating strong relationships based on trust, as the heart of our understanding of inclusion*
  • Valuing and celebrating equality and diversity as the heart of the Oasis ethos
  • Valuing the uniqueness of each person; recognising different talents or gifts that relate to the spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual aspects of what it means to be ‘human’
  • Nurturing values like consideration for others, compassion, truthfulness, forgiveness, reconciliation, justice and a commitment to healthy and sustainable lifestyles
  • Having the highest expectations of ourselves and others by: helping to create a ‘can do’ culture, wanting to do our very best and making a positive contribution to the community
  • Providing inspirational leadership at all levels that models the Oasis ethos and is focused on relationships, creativity and life-long learning
  • Developing full participation, strong team work and shared leadership among staff
  • Developing pupil leadership and valuing all pupil contributions to improve learning, teaching and the overall quality of life in the Academy
  • Listening to our stakeholders and partners and using their views to inform future developments

*Note: being motivated by our Christian beliefs means that we are inclusive, amongst other things. For Oasis Community Learning, inclusion is about accepting the person but being prepared to confront and challenge unacceptable behaviour. It is about being intentionally committed to:

  1. Serving and respecting everyone regardless of their gender, marital status, race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation or physical and mental capability.
  2. Acknowledging the freedom of people of all beliefs or none both to hold and to express their beliefs and convictions respectfully and freely, within the framework of the law.
  3. Never imposing our Christian beliefs on others but seeking to behave in a Christ-like way with everyone.

TRANSFORMING LEARNING

We have a passion for learning and we want everyone to achieve their full potential

  • Creating environments in all our Academies where learning is fun
  • Providing all our pupils with excellent opportunities for learning and assessment to support learning
  • Ensuring that pupils maintain good progress between the primary and secondary phases and other key transitions
  • Aiming for ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ standards of learning and teaching in all our Academies and, where necessary, getting the basics right to raise standards of attainment quickly
  • Understanding and thinking critically about different worldviews as frameworks for learning
  • Providing a forward-looking, broad and balanced curriculum which develops the gifts and talents of all pupils and those that teach and lead them
  • Ensuring that Oasis Academies become centres of excellence for their specialisms
  • Ensuring that pupils are accessing a wide range of extended opportunities for learning within and beyond the Academy
  • Ensuring that learning balances knowledge and understanding with skills for life and caters for the whole person: academically, vocationally, socially, morally, spiritually, physically, emotionally and environmentally
  • Providing progression routes for all pupils in the secondary phase that are attractive and accessible, helping them to meet challenging personal targets and achieve excellent results
  • Enabling pupils to make a successful transition to interdependent living through employment, further/higher education or other beneficial activities; becoming confident, competent and fulfilled adults
  • Providing learning and teaching in an environment that is healthy and safe and where there are excellent services for care, guidance and support, particularly for the most vulnerable pupils
  • Developing a culture of mutual accountability and rigorous evaluation; being well prepared for external review and inspection
  • Managing the resources that we are given in a responsible way to ensure maximum impact on the quality of education provided
  • Developing our staff and sharing our successes between the Oasis Academies and more widely
  • Measuring performance based on the aspirations and outcomes of the Education Charter; committing to continuous improvement
  • Celebrating success widely and regularly; supporting others with their learning and being pleased when others do well

TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES

We are committed to community development and will help to increase community cohesion, locally, nationally and globally

  • Demonstrating our Christian values through a love for and commitment to others which is self-giving and offered with compassion but also holds people to account; promoting responsibilities as well as rights
  • Believing and demonstrating that any situation can be transformed
  • Valuing and engaging with the religious, ethnic and social diversity of our communities and using this diversity as a resource for learning and a means to improve community cohesion
  • Working effectively with others to reduce poverty and social injustice, in all their forms
  • Helping to transform lives and communities through the overall work of the hub and, for Academies, through the contributions of pupils and staff to local, national and global needs
  • Reducing consumption of the Earth’s resources and increasing sustainable lifestyles
  • Showing resilience and not giving up when faced with difficulties
  • Seeing the wider community committed to, engaged with and proud of their Academy

THE OUTCOMES FOR OUR PUPILS

Oasis Community Learning is committed to measuring and evaluating the impact of the Education Charter and, in particular, the outcomes for our pupils. This can be done using quantitative evidence like exam results and also by gathering qualitative evidence about the experiences of pupils, parents & carers, staff and the wider community at an Oasis Academy.

Outcomes for our pupils and other members of Oasis Academy communities:

  • Pupils and staff express a high appreciation for being included, challenged, supported and safe
  • Pupils, parents/carers, staff, key partners and members of the wider community express a high level of satisfaction that places Oasis Academies among the most valued schools in England; for example, as measured by the range of opportunities for learning, the level of enjoyment in learning, the range of successes and the quality of facilities
  • Pupils and staff of the Academies are actively engaged in learning opportunities beyond the formal curriculum; there are increasing opportunities for adult learning
  • Pupils, parents/carers and staff report that the Academies provide care, guidance and support that enable them to achieve their personal best
  • Academies provide evidence of improvements against challenging goals that exceed national minimum targets for examination success and other key performance indicators, for example, attendance, exclusions and the quality of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
  • Pupils make successful transitions during their progress through the Academies and from the Academies to employment, further and higher education or other beneficial activities and on to adult life; the achievements of pupils and staff are celebrated
  • Community members express a high appreciation for the opportunities to get involved with the life of the Academy and the hub, the variety of services for the whole community and the contribution Academies make towards community development and cohesion, locally, nationally and globally
  • Financial and resource management, including energy consumption, provides evidence of sustainable practices across the network of Academies
  • Oasis Community Learning and the Oasis Academies are recognized nationally for educational excellence, strong governance and rigorous accountability

‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.’ W.B.Yeats

Academy Term Dates

School Year 2016 - 2017

Autumn Term 2016

Monday 5th September 2016 - Staff Professional Development Day

Tuesday 6th September 2016 - Academy Opens

Friday 21st October 2016 - Academy closes at 3:30p.m. for Half term holiday

Monday 31st October 2016 - Staff Professional Development Day (Regional Training Day)

Tuesday 1st November 2016 - Academy Opens

Friday 16th December 2016 - Academy closes at 3:30pm - Christmas Hoiday

Spring Term 2017

Tuesday 3rd January 2017 - Staff Professional Development Day

Wednesday 4th January 2017 - Academy Opens

Friday 17th February 2017 - Academy closes at 3:30pm for half term holiday

Monday 27th February 2017 - Academy Opens

Friday 7th April 2017 - Academy closes at 3:30pm for Easter Holiday

Summer Term 2017

Monday 24th April 2017 - Academy Opens

Friday 26th May 2017 - Academy closes at 3:30pm for half term

Monday 5th June 2017 - Academy Opens

Friday 21st July 2017 - Academy closes at 3:30pm for Summer Holiday

Monday 24th July 2017 - Staff Professional Day

Tuesday 25th July 2017 - Staff Professional Day

The Academy Timetable

Academy Year

The academy will open for three terms per year; typically the autumn term will run from September to December, the spring term will run from January to April and the summer term from April to July.A total of five ‘In Service Training’ (INSET) days will be planned across the academy Year. These will focus on specific developments in Teaching and Learning. There will be 190 core learning days.

Academy Day

The Academy will be open from 8:00am(Breakfast Café) with the formal day commencing at 8:55amand finishing at 3:30pm.

Lesson Times

Registration: 8:55am

Lessons start at 9:05am

Daily key stage or class assemblies: 12:20pm

DAILY TIMETABLE

Example Key Stage 1 Timetable (where classes have PE in the morning then the subsequent maths/English will be taught in the morning.

Example EYFSTimetable – Maths and English lessons may alternate.

Directed Time

Teachers are contracted to fulfil the 1265 hours annual directed time. There are two weekly meetings; one which is a professional development meeting (PDM) and the other which is a year group planning meeting. The duration of each meeting is one hour. Other meetings take place throughout the year such as Parents’ Evenings. When these occur the PDM not take place in lieu of directed time for attendance at the other meeting to be secured. Teachers will receive ten per cent of their timetabled teaching time as their dedicated Preparation, Planning and Assessment time (PPA). There is a fifteen minute staff briefing on Monday mornings. All other briefings take place electronically throughout the week.

Support staff may have variable times according to their role in school. Specific information about directed time for support staff can be clarified through consultation with the Principal.

Staff Routines

Staffshouldphone the Principalby7:00 a.m. if they are going to be absent (no email, text or voicemail messages accepted).Unless under exceptional circumstances, this phone call must be made by the member of staff themselves, not by a third party.

All teaching staff members are required to be on site and ready to work by 8:30 am,in accordance with directed times. Support staff times on site will vary according to role (see the Executive Principal for specific information). An electronic calendar is set up that displays the information for the coming day and week. This reduces the need for lengthy morning briefings.

Staff Induction

Every new member of the teaching or support staff is assigned a mentor who should ensure that they receive the following, as appropriate to their remit:

1 / Class lists and all relevant assessment and target-setting data.
2 / 1-1 training with photocopier and reprographics hardware
3 / Training in use of school network/One Drive
4 / Staff handbookand key policy documents.
5 / Staffroom pigeonhole (staffroom protocols and procedures will be explained, including use of whiteboard, noticeboards and tea/coffee facilities).
6 / Team induction training from line manager andsubject leaders.
7 / Full staff list, detailing roles and responsibilities.
8 / Timetables for duty rotas and room bookings.
9 / Guidance onprotocols for administering medication to pupils.
10 / Guidance on playtime supervision / wet playtime routines.
11 / Guidance on managing pupil behaviour / academy rules, rewards & sanctions.
12 / Guidance onthe academy’s communication protocol.
13 / School library training.
14 / Guidance onrelevant pupilIEPs (delivered by SENCO).
15 / School calendar and dates of any training and development activities.
16 / Training in the use of any age or subject-specific equipment.
17 / Guidance on personnel matters such as: leave of absence, stock orders, phoning in when sick, applying for courses.
18 / Guidance on school’s health and safety policy (led by H&S Officer).
19 / Copy of Academy Development Plan (ADP).
20 / Safeguarding training – changes to procedures and latest publication/guidance. Updates throughout the academic year.

Communication Protocols