Oasis Academy Longmeadow Prospectus

Oasis Academy Longmeadow Prospectus

A Message from our CEO A very warm welcome to Oasis Community Learning!

I am delighted that you and your daughter or son are interested in becoming part of Oasis Academy Longmeadow.

Oasis Community Learning was established as a multi-academy Trust in 2004 with the vision to create “Exceptional Education at the Heart of the Community”.

We now run academies in four main regions throughout the UK, providing either Primary, Secondary or Allthrough education.

All of our academies are committed to providing a rich educational experience and ensuring that every child and young person has the opportunity to achieve at the highest level.

Our ethos is integral to that provision. It is an expression of our character, a statement of who we are and therefore the lens through which we assess all we do. We are committed to a model of inclusion, equality, healthy relationships, hope and perseverance throughout all aspects of the life and culture of each academy community.

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Principal’s Welcome We passionately embrace learning and are committed to every child within our care reaching their full potential, developing holistically across every area of their lives both now and in their future.

All of this is underpinned by our philosophy of education which highlights our focus on inspirational leadership, deep learning and healthy communities. It aspires to develop the character and competence of every child within every community of which we are a part.

At Oasis Community Learning therefore, we believe we are all ‘the architects of our students’ lives’ and as such we are committed to laying the right foundations for every one of our young people.

So we look forward to your daughter or son potentially becoming part of Oasis, in the knowledge that we will work in partnership with you to ensure they become confident learners ready to fulfil their aspirations in life.

Welcome to the prospectus of Oasis Academy Longmeadow. I hope that you enjoy finding out about our wonderful academy. We are a warm and welcoming community where children and adults ‘love, laugh and learn’ together.

As a small school, we know every child as an individual and aim to offer an environment that fosters positive relationships, develops skills and creates a thirst for learning. Our children can expect to work with staff who care about them. All of our staff strive to provide for every child’s development to ensure that they flourish personally and academically. We aim for every child to gain the confidence, knowledge and skills to achieve their potential and continue as successful learners throughout their life.

“We passionately embrace learning and are committed to every child within our care reaching their full potential”

We believe that we will support the success of all of our children through building: • A community which celebrates diversity and difference • A curriculum that is engaging, relevant and challenging • A staff team who are dedicated to supporting the children to be the very best that they can be • A focussed learning environment with high aspirations based on a sense of purpose, engagement, fun and challenge As a community school it is important to us that we serve the needs and interests of our community. We work hard to build partnerships with parents so that together we can provide the very best for our children.

At Oasis Academy Longmeadow we extend a very warm welcome to you. We encourage you to get involved with your child’s learning and academy life through our Parent Forum meetings and FOALS (Friends of Oasis Academy Longmeadow).

We believe that by transforming learning we can transform lives. Together we can ensure that the children flourish.

John Murphy

Helen Adams

Chief Executive Officer, Oasis Community Learning

Principal, Oasis Academy, Longmeadow 3

About the Academy

Ethos, Vision and Values At Oasis Academy Longmeadow everything we do is centred around the Oasis Ethos: A passion to include everyone A desire to treat everyone equally, respecting differences

Oasis Academy Longmeadow is a vibrant co-educational community school which admits children between the ages for 4 to 11. We are situated in the Longfield area of Trowbridge in Wiltshire. The school joined the Oasis family of academies in April 2013. Prior to that it was known as Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School.

We have 10 teaching areas – 2 of which are used for the Early Years classroom, 6 other classrooms, and a nurture provision space. We are lucky to have a very well-stocked library which is well-used and helps us to foster children’s love of reading. We also have also have a fully-equipped teaching kitchen, and we use this to ensure all children experience cooking at school, whilst learning about a healthy lifestyle.

We want our children to be active and learning throughout the day and have invested in supporting this at playtimes and lunchtimes. Our spacious grounds are home to a large field which includes a football pitch and running track. We have a range of climbing equipment including a scramble-net and trim-trail. We also have a Playpod, which contains a wide range of equipment to support creative and collaborative play. The playground has a sheltered quiet area and flower gardens, with seating for times when children want to chat or play more quietly with their friends.

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Our Reception children have their own outdoor area which they use at playtimes until the summer term.

This includes a story-telling area, playhouse and a “road” for bike and scooter riding.

Our academy is bright, engaging and vibrant. We are proud of the work our children produce and enjoy celebrating their talents in a variety of ways, for example through displays and assemblies. Every Friday we hold a celebration assembly to celebrate children’s academic achievements and behaviour. Good attendance is also celebrated weekly and termly.

A commitment to healthy and open relationships A deep sense of hope that things can change and be transformed

Our Academy specific vision and values are expressed through our motto, ‘Love. Laugh. Learn’ We believe that love is the fundamental need of every person. We care deeply about our children and show this through the time and commitment we give to them, We want our children to care for others, and for the world they live in.

We believe that children learn best when they are enjoying the lessons and that laughter and fun are essential in order to engage children with their learning.

We recognise that every child is unique and value this diversity. We give all our children the opportunity to learn as many things, in as many ways, as possible to that each child is able to shine.

A sense of perseverance to keep going for the long haul

At the start of each year we hold an informal ‘Meet the Teacher’ session which gives parents chance to find out about their child’s new class. After that, parents’ evenings are held twice a year to discuss progress. You will be able to meet with teachers and the Principal to discuss your child’s report at the end of the year. If you have any comments, concerns or suggestions, we encourage you to make an appointment at any time during the year to discuss anything connected with your child’s education or wellbeing.

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Academy Day

Uniform

Teaching and learning at Oasis Academy Longmeadow takes place from 8.40am until 3.00pm. Morning lessons usually focus on developing key skills in core subjects, reading, writing and mathematics. In the afternoon children study humanities, PE, technology, computing, science, art and music.

At Oasis Academy Longmeadow children are expected to wear full academy uniform every day.

The school day is broken down as follows: 8.40am - 9.00am: Early Morning Work (Registration closes at 9.00am and after this children will be marked as late) 9.00am - 9.10am: Skills Practice (spelling, number facts including multiplication tables, handwriting) 9.10am - 9.40am: Reading (this may be through guided group work or whole class teaching) 9.40am - 10.40am: English or mathematics lesson 10.40am - 10.45am: Toast time (every child is give a piece of toast to keep them going until lunchtime) 10.45am - 11.00am: Morning Break 11.00am - 12.00pm: English or mathematics lesson 12.00pm - 12.50pm: Lunchtime 12.50pm - 1.00pm: Quiet reading

Our uniform consists of: • Blue polo shirt (with academy logo) • Red sweatshirt (with academy logo) • Black/grey shorts, trousers or skirts • Black or white socks/tights • Smart black shoes or plain black trainers • Blue or red gingham dresses can be worn in the summer • T-shirt in house colour for PE (with academy logo) • Black PE shorts or tracksuit bottoms for PE • Black PE shoes • PE kit bag (with academy logo) • School book bag (with academy logo)

1.00pm - 1.45pm: 1st afternoon lesson

• Sweatshirts, polo shirts, shorts and bags with the academy logo can be obtained from the main office

1.45pm - 2.30pm: 2nd afternoon lesson

• A pair of trainers will be required for outdoor PE

2.30pm - 3.00pm: Assembly (Monday Wednesday and Friday), Storytime (Tuesday and Thursday) Breakfast Club begins at 7.45am. It is delivered through Active Trowbridge, who provide cereal and drinks.

After School club is also led by Active Trowbridge and runs until 5.00pm each afternoon.

We stock the academy fleece jacket, sweatshirt, cardigan, polo shirt, PE shirt, book bag & PE bags. Please contact the office for an order form and price list.

Academy Lunches

SEND

We are very lucky that our delicious lunches are cooked on site using fresh ingredients. Our catering contractor is Sodexo. Menu choices are run on a four week rolling calendar. Each day there is a choice of a hot meat meal option with meat, a vegetarian option or a jacket potato as well as a daily desert baked in-house, or yoghurt or fruit. In 2018-19 the cost of lunch is £2.50 per day.

Oasis Academy Longmeadow is committed to helping all students to flourish, regardless of their specific needs. We believe that every person matters and it is our responsibility to do everything we can to enable them to reach their full potential. If a student has special educational needs or a disability (SEND), the academy will take every reasonable step to identify and meet them.

We strongly encourage families to apply for Free School Meals if they think they may be entitled. Application forms can be obtained from the school office, or downloaded from our own website or that of Wiltshire Council.

In line with the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice 0-25 (2015) these children are placed on the academy’s SEND register. Their progress is closely monitored and reviewed at regular intervals.

Individual plans may be written for children with Special Educational Needs and are reviewed regularly with parents or carers. If necessary the academy is able to access many support agencies in order to help meet children’s needs.

Children are also able bring their own packed lunch if they prefer.

Please see our SEND Policy for further information on our arrangements and provision for children with special education needs and disabilities. Our Accessibility Plan can be requested from the school office.

Should you require further information please contact the SEND lead Miss Laura Hurn, or visit our website.

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Absence Procedures We emphasise the importance of full attendance at school. Even a few days off can have a significant impact on a child’s achievement.

If a child has to be off for an unavoidable reason, parents are requested to telephone the school by 8.30 to let us know and give a valid reason.

It is very important that children arrive at school on time.

If children are even a few minutes late they will have missed key learning time for core skills such as reading, spelling and number facts. Registers close at 9.00 and any child who arrives after this point will be marked late.

We work closely with Wiltshire Council’s Education Welfare Service to support full attendance in school.

We also celebrate the efforts of children who attend school every day through a range of weekly and termly prizes.

The Academy Commitment to Equality Oasis Academy Longmeadow is committed to outworking the principles of justice in all that we do. In accordance with our academy ethos.

We willingly accept not only our legal responsibility but also wish to embrace best practice in all areas of our work in order to secure equality and fairness of both treatment and outcome for all. We are therefore committed to ensuring that no-one is treated in any way less favourably on the grounds of age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race, colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation. Discriminatory behaviour, homophobic and other discriminatory bullying and hate crime are unacceptable.

Behaviour & Rewards We celebrate our children’s efforts and achievements in a wide variety of ways. Focusing on the key learning skills: perseverance, focus, communication, collaboration, risk-taking and creativity children are encouraged to move into the ‘green’ learning zone when they demonstrate these skills. At the end of the week there is a reward for all children who have consistently stayed in the ‘green’ zone.

At the end of each term the ‘Learner of the Term’ from each class receives a special award.

We also have a house system. The names of the four houses reflect the heritage of the local area: Weavers, Dyers, Spinners and Carders. Each child is allocated to a house and is able to earn House Points, which are 8

collected for the House Shield. House Points also earn children individual awards, for example a certificate is awarded for 25 points, followed by a bronze, silver and gold star badge for 25, 50 and 100 points respectively.

We hold our Celebration Assembly each Friday and announce the winner of the House Shield for that week.

We also award one child from each class a certificate and prize for being ‘Learner of the Week’ and for children whose behaviour has been exemplary, the ‘9 Habits Leader’ award.

“Leaders and managers are taking effective action…”

Ofsted 9

Curriculum Approach Most children start learning full-time in Reception from the end of the first week in September.

We support their transition to school with some ‘getting to know you’ sessions in the summer term, and during the summer holidays so that they are confident to start straight away.

We use a mastery approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics. We use White Rose Maths and Mathematics Mastery resources. This means that we use concrete and pictorial representation of numbers and concepts to help children understand more deeply and we spend time on each maths topic so that key ideas are thoroughly embedded.

Children in Reception class learn reading, writing and early mathematics daily. PSED (Personal Social and Emotional Development) and CL (Communication and Language) are taught across all lessons. Children learn through a combination of adult-led activities and independent learning through play (continuous provision).

We are lucky to have a very large Reception area so that each lesson includes opportunities for children to play outside and engage in creative activities.

We teach phonics skills twice a day from the start of Reception to Year 2, following progression outlined in Letters and Sounds. Phonics is taught in sets so that children are able to work in groups with others who are at the same stage. Once children have mastered phonics they learn spelling rules and patterns from the National Curriculum. We have 3 short spelling sessions each week which in which we teach the spelling pattern or rule, enable children to practice and then to apply the spelling.

Children learn spellings for homework and are tested each week.

In all year groups we have worked hard to develop exciting topics which teach children about the wider world they live in, while also taking advantage of all the things to do and see in Trowbridge.

We have an enquiry approach to our topics which enables children to build skills and understanding before applying them to a challenge at the end of each unit. Wherever it is appropriate we link subjects in cross curricular units.

For example, in our Year 1 Topic ‘Homes’ children will read and retell the story of the Three Little Pigs in their English lessons. In humanities they will learn about the different kinds of buildings and houses in our local area.

In science lessons they will investigate different materials and why they are used in buildings. They will apply their learning in a DT project at the end of the unit, to design and build model houses which the wolf can’t blow down.

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We teach reading every day and use Reading Recovery book bands to measure children’s progress. Children are taught in guided group work in Key Stage 1 and through whole class reading sessions in Key Stage 2. Teachers hear children read individually and we are lucky to have a number of volunteers from our community to support with hearing readers.

We teach handwriting, using a pre-cursive script from the start of Reception. This helps children to develop fluent and joined handwriting, usually by year 3.

We are very proud of how hard our children work. Each term we invite parents to a sharing learning session to see what their children have learned. These will either be an open classroom event, in which children show and talk about their learning, or a class performance assembly.

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Subjects Taught

Educational Partnerships

We teach the full range of National curriculum subjects which are:

We believe that we can offer much more to our children when we work in partnership with others. We want our academy to be at the heart of the community and the community to be at the heart of our academy.

• Mathematics • English (reading, writing, speaking and listening handwriting and spelling) • Science • History • Geography • Music • Art • Design Technology (This includes cookery in our teaching kitchen) • Computing • RE • PE (Physical Education- including Dance) • PSH and CE (Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education) • Modern Foreign Languages

We have worked hard to build partnership with a range of local organisations who can enrich the provision we offer for our children. These include: Active Trowbridge – who support with sports and fitness provision Wiltshire Connect Music Centre – who support whole class instrumental tuition through first access grants Trowbridge Museum – who have delivered a range of local history activities Bath University – who have helped to deliver high quality engaging science activities in our Science Week and through Bath Taps Into Science Wiltshire Library service – who have offered author events and workshop and the Summer reading Challenge St James’ Church – who deliver ‘Open the Book’ assemblies and host our annual Nativity concert We are also very grateful to volunteers from our local community who support the school through accompanying children on visits and hearing readers.

Extra-Curricular Clubs

How to Apply

We offer a wide range of extra-curricular clubs which take place after school.

You are warmly invited to visit our school to see all that we have to offer.

We work with Active Trowbridge to offer a programme of sports and fitness clubs which include Archery, Zumba, Dance and Tag Rugby.

Please telephone the school on 01225 355511 to arrange a visit.

We also offer clubs to develop children’s creative skills such as choir, craft and recorder club.

Oasis Academy Longmeadow operates a fully inclusive admissions policy. Students admitted to the academy are allocated places in accordance with the local authority’s Admissions Policy. Further information can be found on the Wiltshire Council website: Please visit Wiltshire Council’s Website for admissions and to apply for a place at our school.

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A Message from our Founder When I started Oasis back in 1985, I had no idea it would grow into the wonderful family of charities that it has become today. In Oasis Community Learning, we are the country’s second largest provider of academy schools, educating around 25,000 children and young people.

Through Oasis Aquila Housing, we provide housing for vulnerable young people. With Oasis Community Partnerships we run social projects – from community farms and coffee houses to churches and children’s centres – and much more besides. And we do this in communities as diverse as Gateshead in the North East to Bristol in the South West. So, the question is…why?

Not only do we believe your child should receive the very best formal education, but also that there is more to a healthy life and future than simply the knowledge they hold. Every one of us is a product of the community in which we live. That is why Oasis is passionate that every community served by one of our academies should be a happy, healthy place where every person is included and valued, and has the ability to thrive and achieve their full, God-given potential. That is why Oasis’ vision not only aims to deliver outstanding education, but also to help build great local neighbourhoods.

We are motivated by our core Christian ethos which means that we believe every person – those of all faiths or none – are equally valuable and have a part to contribute in helping this vision become a reality. Helping a young person realise who they are meant to be is about more than simply the qualifications they get or the job they want; it’s about how they see themselves and those around them. That’s why Oasis’ goal is to help create great communities where every young person achieves their best, respects themselves, values those around them and contributes to the good of all.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to an Oasis academy in order to experience this for yourself.

unity m Comearning L

Steve Chalke, MBE Oasis Founder If you have a query regarding Oasis Academy Longmeadow please contact the Principal, Helen Adams through her PA, Liz Williams on 01225 355511 or email admin@oasislongmeadow.org You can keep up-to-date with developments at Oasis Academy Longmeadow via our website www.oasisacademylongmeadow.org

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If you wish to know more about Oasis Community Learning – part of the Oasis group of charities – please contact: The Oasis Centre, 75 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7HS www.oasiscommunitylearning.org @OasisAcademies

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Oasis Academy Longmeadow Broadcloth Lane, Trowbridge BA14 7HE Tel: 01225 355511 Email: admin@oasislongmeadow.org www.oasisacademylongmeadow.org