Oasis Academy Mayfield is a
city academy in
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, run by
Oasis Community Learning
Oasis Charitable Trust, commonly known as Oasis, is a UK-based Christian registered charity. It was founded by the Reverend Steve Chalke in September 1985. Chalke had been assistant minister at Tonbridge Baptist Church, Kent, for four years. ...
(a foundation established by the
Oasis Trust
Oasis Charitable Trust, commonly known as Oasis, is a UK-based Christian registered charity. It was founded by the Reverend Steve Chalke in September 1985. Chalke had been assistant minister at Tonbridge Baptist Church, Kent, for four years. He ...
) with approximately 900 pupils.
The Academy was established in 2008, when two local secondary schools merged;
Woolston School Language College in Porchester Road, Woolston, and
Grove Park Business and Enterprise College
Grove Park Business and Enterprise College, previously known as Weston Park Boys' School, was a comprehensive school in east Southampton, Hampshire, in the south of England. The school was closed in 2008 to make way for Oasis Academy Mayfield ...
in the Grove, Weston.
Description
The Academy was established in 2008, when two local secondary schools merged;
Woolston School Language College in Porchester Road, Woolston, and
Grove Park Business and Enterprise College
Grove Park Business and Enterprise College, previously known as Weston Park Boys' School, was a comprehensive school in east Southampton, Hampshire, in the south of England. The school was closed in 2008 to make way for Oasis Academy Mayfield ...
in the Grove, Weston. Due to the number of combined students, the Academy initially operated as a split site with the Key Stage 3 students (Years 7, 8 & 9) being taught at The Grove and Key Stage 4 students (Years 10 & 11) being taught at Porchester Road.
In the early months of forming a new Academy, both students and staff faced a number of challenges as they adjusted to teaching and learning across the split site.
Following a meeting between parents and local MP, John Denham, acting Head Ruth Johnson was replaced by John Toland on 24 November 2008, who officially took up the post of Principal on 2 March 2009.
In 2011 the school was listed as "the worst in the country" based on the lack of progress made by pupils; attendance and attainment were also poor.
On 21 February 2012, students and staff moved into the school's new building.
The school was inspected by
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
in 2016 and judged Good.
As of 2022, the school's most recent inspection was in 2020, with a judgement of Requires Improvement.
Description
Oasis Academy Mayfield is part of the Oasis Community Learning group, and evangelical Christian charity The trust have guided forty schools out of special measures. 19 per cent of the 52 Oasis academies classified as failing.
The trust's founder Reverend
Steve Chalke
Stephen John "Steve" Chalke (born 17 November 1955) is a British Baptist minister, the founder of the Oasis Charitable Trust, a former United Nations' Special Adviser on Human Trafficking and a social activist.
Chalke is a Fellow of the Royal Soc ...
says "Turning round a school is sometimes a quick fix, it really, truly is. And sometimes it’s a really long, hard, hard job".
Oasis has a long term strategy for enhancing the performance of its schools. Firstly it has devised a standard curriculum, that each school can safely adopt knowing it will deliver the
National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with Federated stat ...
. Secondly it invests in staff training so they become focused on improving the outcomes for the students. Through the
Horizons scheme it provides each member of staff and student with a tablet.
Curriculum
Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the
National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with Federated stat ...
, and there success is judged on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'.
Schools endeavour to get all students to achieve the
English Baccalaureate
The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results. It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. ...
qualification- this must include core subjects a modern or ancient foreign language, and either History or Geography.
The academy operates a three-year,
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the ...
where all the core National Curriculum subjects are taught.
In
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31. ...
can continue to study the full English Baccalaureate, with German, French and Spanish on offer, but other options (after discussion) are also available. All will do GCSEs in English Language and Literature, Maths and at least two Sciences, and a humanity.
Notable attendees
*
Ally Law
Alistair Law (born 12 February 1997) is an English YouTuber from Southampton. His videos feature parkour, with him climbing on a range of buildings and cranes, as well as doing 'overnight challenges', where he and a group of friends attempt to ...
, parkour performer and YouTuber
References
External links
Official siteThe school on Ofsted's website
{{authority control
Academies in Southampton
Secondary schools in Southampton
Mayfield
Educational institutions established in 2008
2008 establishments in England