Witham Oaks Academy

Powers Hall Academy has demonstrated notable improvement since its previous inspection, moving from a requires improvement status to good overall. The school fosters a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, respected, and ready to learn. High expectations and a strong focus on enhancing the quality of education have resulted in a stimulating and ambitious curriculum that caters well to pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Daily activities, such as the popular 'Meet and Eat' sessions, contribute to the positive atmosphere and supportive culture within the school.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, happy, and proud of their school.
• Teachers display strong subject knowledge and present learning clearly.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and receive appropriate support.
• The curriculum is ambitious, growing more complex as pupils progress.
• Pupils engage actively in leadership roles and extracurricular clubs.
• The school has a well-considered personal development programme.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject leaders lack the depth of understanding to carry out their roles effectively.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Witham Oaks Academy attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.5% of pupils at Witham Oaks Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Witham Oaks Academy had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.3% of pupils at Witham Oaks Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Witham Oaks Academy received £7,162 and spent £6,019 for each of its 274 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £264,000 (£963 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Inspires Mat, income was £6,646 and spending £6,280 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Witham · Essex local authority: places and applications

Witham Oaks Academy is part of Inspires Mat, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Templars Academy Witham
• Silver End Academy Witham
• Kings Ford Academy Colchester
• Cherry Tree Academy Colchester

What is Witham Oaks Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Witham Oaks Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Witham Oaks Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Witham Oaks Academy was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Witham Oaks Academy have?

Witham Oaks Academy has 290 pupils on roll.

What age range does Witham Oaks Academy cover?

Witham Oaks Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Witham Oaks Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Witham Oaks Academy?

Witham Oaks Academy is at Spa Road, Witham, Essex, CM8 1NA.