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Oasis Academy South Bank A New Free School for Waterloo


Oasis Academy South Bank will open in September 2013 a new secondary school serving the local Waterloo community. It will be a small, safe, learning environment for local children, offering excellent educational opportunities where every student can reach their full potential. Oasis Academy South Bank will be part of the wider Oasis Hub which delivers an extensive range of childrens, youth and family services in the local community. Oasis is already responsible for Oasis Church Waterloo, Oasis Academy Johanna (formerly Johanna Primary School) as well as the Oasis College of Higher Education, on Westminster Bridge Road, which offers both under-graduate and post-graduate courses to more than 250 students. Oasis is a Christian foundation serving all regardless of faith.

The Vision
Waterloo is an important centre for the UKs arts and media industry, as well as for higher education, various global businesses, healthcare and tourism. Its just a stones throw from the seat of UK government and a near neighbour to Londons financial district. Yet, too much of this wealth bypasses the local community altogether. Oasis goal is to create a world class secondary educational environment which harnesses the richness of the surrounding environment for the benefit of our local children. We believe that this will also help create a much needed, stronger sense of community for young people here in Waterloo. There is a specific need in the Waterloo area for a new, small, co-ed secondary school; a school to and from which local children can travel safely by foot instead of taking tube or bus rides; a school where each student is known and where the relationships that they have built through their years of primary education can be maintained. We believe that meeting these needs will play a vital role in ensuring that every local young person has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Currently, there is no local secondary school serving the whole local community. As a result our children are scattered across a large number of schools in several boroughs when they leave primary school. Lambeth Councils report on School Demand and Primary Expansion (presented to Cabinet on 12th December 2011) is clear, explaining; The overall population projections for Lambeth suggest that, in spite of the difficulty in accurate forecasting, the dramatic increase in primary place demand will continue, with the shortage spreading to secondary places around 2015/2016. We want to plan ahead to ensure children living in Waterloo are not disadvantaged by the demand on secondary school places from the rest of the borough. Local parents should not have to compete for the remaining places which are often a significant distant from their homes. Its time to invest in Waterloo and in the future of our children and young people. Oasis already works in partnership alongside other local agencies such as WaCoCo, Waterloo Quarter BID, the Southbank Employers Group, Coin Street Community Builders, St. Thomas Hospital, The Old Vic Theatre and Morley College. Building on the strength of these existing relationships we will create an excellent secondary school and help to build a strong sense of pride for our whole community.

About Oasis Academies


Oasis Community Learning is the most improved academy group. During the 2011-12 academic year, Oasis Academies made excellent progress, improving at three times the national average. OFSTED reported positive progress in each of the 12 inspections it carried out in our Academies. We now run 10 secondary, two all-through, seven primary, and will be a family of 33 Academies by early 2013, as more and more schools choose to become part of the Oasis family around the country. Each of our Academies has its own character and identity. However, one of our key strengths as a family is our commitment to share effective practice across the group. Oasis Academy South Bank will: Believe that every child has potential Serve local children, and accept students irrespective of faith or ability Have a strong and unrelenting focus on academic achievement and character development Have a firm focus on addressing both literacy and numeracy Work alongside parents and carers as partners in their childs education Promote its belief that the emerging E.Bacc is key to a childs academic success Deliver high quality lessons to ensure its mission is achieved Operate longer opening hours than a traditional school to ensure each child fulfils their potential Continually strive to ensure high expectations are set, fostering an ethos where achievement and outstanding performance is celebrated Operate a compulsory summer school for any student who needs extra help and support before the new academic year Work in partnership with universities, business and commerce, and encourage public service and enterprise.

Curriculum
Oasis Academy South Bank will: Ignite young peoples curiosity and thirst for learning Offer 120 places per year group Ensure each student has a personalised learning plan Offer five compulsory subjects as well as four options at Key Stage 4 Offer The South Bank Five (see overleaf) Establish early relationships with local universities for students Be an integral part of the wide range of community services offered through the Oasis Hub Waterloo Ensure each child attends a Summer Reading Camp prior to entry in Year 7 Allocate an assigned mentor to oversee each students studies Offer four hours per week of Extended Studies Cover the National Curriculum as well as using its small size and unique set of community partnerships to offer increased, tailor-made, personalised learning and individual one-to-one tuition to each student Offer a range of rich, enjoyable and high quality learning experiences. Alongside a clear emphasis on the National Curriculum core subjects including English, maths and science, the school will introduce a wide range of courses to develop the skills, abilities and aptitudes that are recognised, as well as highly valued, by colleges, universities and employers. These will be delivered in partnership with the business, arts, university, government and tourism specialist institutions in the local area

The South Bank Five


1. An early residential in Year 7 to enhance bonding within the year group and develop the self-confidence of young people. 2. A Year 7 visit to a university to enhance the academic aspirations of students. 3. A visit to a theatre to experience the joy of live performance. 4. A chance to attend a musical concert to experience the broad variety of culture available on our doorstep. 5. A talent analysis programme to identify each students passion or gift. We will then commit to working with students to develop this interest as they progress through the school.

Admissions
Our Published Admission Number (PAN) for 2013-14 is 120 Year 7 pupils, then the Academy will build year by year. A copy of the admissions policy is available on request or to download from our website. In the event of the school being oversubscribed, the following oversubscription criteria will apply: 1. Looked After Children or Previously Looked After Children as defined in section 22 (1) of the Children Act 1989. 2. Siblings - we will prioritise twins or children from other multiple births under the sibling criteria and would increase our published PAN to accommodate this need. 3. Children with exceptional medical or social needs as defined by a suitably qualified and experienced panel convened to consider such cases. Evidence in the form of a doctor or social workers letter will be required. 4. Distance - as measured by a straight line between the childs home and the school. This measurement will be done by a computerised mapping system, from the childs home to the school. The childs home address will be considered to be where the child spends the majority of the school week.

The Governance
Oasis Academy South Bank will have an Academy Council which will be made up of representatives from parents/carers and staff, alongside other representatives from the local community, local businesses, Oasis Community Learning and the Local Authority. Members will be appointed for their skills, abilities and local knowledge.

The Site
We are currently actively exploring several local options and we hope to make an announcement shortly regarding the location of the new Academy.

Contact Us
To apply for a place or if you would like any further information, please do get in touch with us at: Lucia Glynn, The Oasis Centre, 75 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7HS E-mail: lucia.glynn@oasisuk.org or telephone: 020 7921 4464 Please also look at our website for updates and admission information: www.oasisacademysouthbank.org www.oasiscommunitylearning.org E-mail: admissions@oasissouthbank.org You can follow us on Twitter @OasisSouthBank

www.oasisacdemysouthbank.org

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