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 Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated populat ...

Baptist Church,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, for four years. He left this job with the aim of setting up a hostel for homeless young people. Oasis now has over 5,000 staff in the UK as well as thousands more volunteers. Since its foundation Oasis has also developed into a family of charities now working on four continents (11 countries) around the world, with the goal of delivering housing, education, training, youthwork and healthcare. Oasis is now a significant

voluntary sector The voluntary sector, independent sector, or civic sector is the realm of social activity undertaken by organizations that are non-governmental nonprofit organizations. This sector is also called the third sector, community sector, and nonprofit ...

provider, delivering services for local authorities and national governments, as well as self funded initiatives. Oasis currently works in 51 local neighbourhoods – 35 of which are in the UK.

Oasis Church Waterloo

In 2003, under Steve Chalke's leadership, Oasis, having become responsible for the buildings of Christ Church and Upton Chapel, in Waterloo, central

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, worked with the existing members there to form what was initially known as Church.co.uk. Since then it has been renamed as Oasis Church, Waterloo. Christ Church and Upton Chapel was founded as Surrey Chapel in 1783, and was to provide a major influence in the start of the ragged school movement – which provided schools for local children from poor homes – and also supported the birth of the Shaftesbury Society, the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

and the

Bible Society A Bible society is a non-profit organization, usually nondenominational in makeup, devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable prices. In recent years they also are increasingly involved in advocating its credibi ...

. In the 1800s it was also influential in the anti-slavery movement;

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becom ...

and friends made its building a venue for many of their anti-slavery meetings, and its spire, built in 1867, is named the Lincoln Tower, donated in memory of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

who was both inspired and supported by in his work to achieve the emancipation of the slaves of North America through the network of friends based in London. Since 2003 a wide range of community services focussed on the half-mile radius around the building, have been developed including a children's centre, a primary school, a secondary school, various adult education opportunities, a foodbank, a debt advice centre, a community farm, a coffee shop, as well as becoming responsible for the local public library and launching various other youth projects and programmes. Further Oasis churches have developed running alongside the communities of Oasis Academies in

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

, Brightstowe,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

, Southampton ( Lord's Hill & Mayfield), Immingham and

Wintringham Wintringham is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It was part of the East Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. Location The village is near the A64 road and east of Malton. Two long-distance footpath ...

. The Oasis church network has five values which are at the heart of their work: inclusion, interdependence, intimacy, involvement and influence.

Stop The Traffik

Stop The Traffik is one of the Oasis subsidiary charities. It is a global coalition working in nearly 100 countries and in partnership with multiple other charitable organisations, businesses and anti-trafficking agencies with the goal of disrupting and preventing human trafficking.

Oasis Community Housing

Oasis Community Housing delivers bespoke and effective services for vulnerably housed and homeless people, in the North East as well as in South London. Annually it supports over 1000 people with housing needs.

The Oasis Foundation

The Foundation focuses on commissioning and disseminating research, on informing and influencing social policy but, most importantly, on promoting and supporting the role of local churches in public service delivery as an integrated part of their purpose.

Oasis Community Learning

Oasis Community Learning is a

multi-academy trust Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) or school trust is an academy trust that operates more than one academy school. Academy schools are state-funded schools in England which are directly funded by the Department for Education and independent of local author ...

and one of Oasis Trust's subsidiary charities. It has an UID of 4076 It acts as an umbrella group to govern the Oasis Academies which are schools classed as

academies An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

. The first three Oasis academies in

Enfield Lock Enfield Lock is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, and extends to the River Lee Navigation, including the Enfi ...

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...

and Immingham, opened in September 2007, with six more, two in

, two 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 ...

, two in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

and one in

, opening in September 2008. Since then, Oasis has grown to be one of the country's largest Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and is currently responsible for 53 schools around England; a mix of primary, secondary and all-through academies. The trust have guided forty schools out of special measures. Chalke says "Turning round a school is sometimes a quick fix, it really, truly is. And sometimes it’s a really long, hard, hard job". A few schools have been problematic for decades, according to Chalke. 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. Secondly it has invested in staff training so they are focused on improving the outcomes for the students, and thirdly, through its Horizons scheme it is providing each member of staff and student with a tablet.

Oasis academies

Primary

* Oasis Academy Aspinal, Gorton, Manchester * Oasis Academy Bank Leaze, Bristol * Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infants, Garretts Green, Birmingham * Oasis Academy Blakenhale Junior, Garretts Green, Birmingham * Oasis Academy Boulton, Soho, Birmingham * Oasis Academy Broadoak, Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside * Oasis Academy Byron, Coulsdon, London * Oasis Academy Connaught, Knowle, Bristol * Oasis Academy Firvale, Sheffield * Oasis Academy Foundry, Soho, Birmingham * Oasis Academy Harpur Mount, Harpurhey, Manchester * Oasis Academy Henderson Avenue, Scunthorpe * Oasis Academy Hobmoor, Yardley, Birmingham * Oasis Academy Johanna, Lower Marsh, London * Oasis Academy Limeside, Limeside, Oldham * Oasis Academy Long Cross, Bristol * Oasis Academy Marksbury Road, Bristol * Oasis Academy New Oak, Bristol * Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe, Grimsby * Oasis Academy Parkwood, Scunthorpe * Oasis Academy Pinewood, Collier Row, London * Oasis Academy Putney, London * Oasis Academy Ryelands, South Norwood, London * Oasis Academy Short Heath, Erdington, Birmingham * Oasis Academy Skinner Street, Gillingham * Oasis Academy Warndon, Worcester * Oasis Academy Watermead, Sheffield * Oasis Academy Woodview, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Secondary

* Oasis Academy Arena, South Norwood, London * Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Shirehampton, Bristol * Oasis Academy Brislington, Brislington, Bristol * Oasis Academy Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon, London *

Oasis Academy Enfield Oasis Academy Enfield is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in the Enfield Lock area of Enfield, England. The school was established in September 2007, as one of the first academies sponsored by Oasi ...

, Enfield Lock, London * Oasis Academy Immingham, Immingham * Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey, Isle of Sheppey, Kent * Oasis Academy John Williams, Hengrove, Bristol *

Oasis Academy Leesbrook Oasis Academy Leesbrook is coeducational secondary school located in the Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is part of the Oasis Community Learning. It opened to pupils in September 2018. It moved to its new site on 9 November 2020. It ...

, Oldham * Oasis Academy Lister Park, Bradford * Oasis Academy Lord's Hill, Southampton *

Oasis Academy Mayfield Oasis Academy Mayfield is a city academy in Southampton, England, run by Oasis Community Learning (a foundation established by the Oasis Trust) with approximately 900 pupils. The Academy was established in 2008, when two local secondary schoo ...

, Southampton * Oasis Academy MediaCityUK, Salford Quays, Salford * Oasis Academy Oldham, Hollinwood, Oldham * Oasis Academy Sholing, Southampton *

Oasis Academy Silvertown Oasis Academy Silvertown is a coeducational secondary free school located in North Woolwich in Newham, in London, England. It is part of the Oasis Community Learning. It opened to pupils in September 2014. It moved to this site in September 2 ...

, West Silvertown * Oasis Academy South Bank, Lambeth, London *

Oasis Academy Wintringham Oasis Academy Wintringham is a secondary school (academy) on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. It is just off the A16 road (England), A16 Peaks Parkway just south-west of the A46 road, A46 crossroads next to the Lisle ...

, Grimsby

Under construction

* Oasis Academy Temple Quarter, Bristol

All-through

Oasis Academy Don Valley Oasis Academy Don Valley is an all-through school located in the Attercliffe area of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The school opened in September 2015, and is sponsored by the Oasis Trust. It opened with just 4 year groups and these are w ...

, Attercliffe, Sheffield *

Oasis Academy Hadley Oasis Academy Hadley is an all-through academy school located in the Ponders End area of the London Borough of Enfield, England run by Oasis Community Learning. It is the second Oasis academy in the London and has close links with Oasis Acad ...

, Ponders End, London *

Oasis Academy Shirley Park Oasis Academy Shirley Park (formerly Ashburton Community School) is a mixed all-through school located within the Ashburton Learning Village complex in the Woodside area of Croydon, Greater London, England. The school educates children of prim ...

, Woodside, London

Oasis Horizons

Horizons is a scheme to upskill each adult and child in the Oasis Community Learning group by loaning them an Apple iPad tablet so they can access enhanced on-line learning both together in class and at home. Oasis explains that this * addresses the inequality agenda * allows Oasis to develop a more exciting curriculum taking advantage of hundreds of online apps * allows staff to work more efficiency, reducing the time needed to perform routine tasks * allows students and families to access resources at home involving families to be more involved in the students education. * prepares students for the next stage in their careers or in employment.

Oasis Restore

Oasis took over the management of the Medway Secure Training Centre (Medway Children's Prison) from G4S and HM Prisons Service; the facility was scheduled to reopen in March 2021. The focus will be on rehabilitation not retaliation and the children and young people will be called students, not prisoners or inmates. Through education and a co-curriculum, Oasis hopes to develop a pathway for them towards that day that they can follow after they leave. There will be capacity for 64 students aged between 12 and 17 who may be staying from a few days to several years. In June 2019 the Ministry of Justice announced that they had awarded Oasis the long-term contract to run the UK's first ‘Secure School’. Chalke explains that Oasis will offer a therapeutically informed education and health care based alternative to youth prison. He also recognises that "The challenge is huge...we have been given a massive responsibility. I realise that the reputation of the Ministry of Justice and the reputation of the whole of Oasis depends on this." The Oasis Secure School, which will be known as Oasis Restore, will occupy the site of the Medway Secure Training College (formerly known as Borstal) which was previously run by G4S until 2016 when a BBC Panorama documentary exposed the level of drugs and violence in the jail and the government removed their contract. Oasis Restore will open in early 2021.

References

External links

UK website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oasis Charitable Trust Charities based in London International charities Christian charities Organizations established in 1985 Founders of English schools and colleges Organizations that combat human trafficking International medical and health organizations Health charities in the United Kingdom Housing organizations Youth work 1985 establishments in the United Kingdom