Oasis Academy Arena

Oasis Academy Arena is an inclusive secondary school serving a disadvantaged community with high pupil mobility, many pupils joining after Year 7, a high proportion of pupils with SEND, and many pupils learning English as an additional language. Safeguarding is met. Inspectors rated inclusion as strong, with The Matrix autism provision, specialist induction for new arrivals and unaccompanied minors, and well-targeted support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils known to social care. Attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing are all expected standard. Achievement needs attention: outcomes have improved but remain below national averages, Progress 8 is negative, and disadvantaged pupils' gaps are wide. The school's context, including a high number of late arrivals with limited prior schooling, contributes to these outcomes. Leaders, with trust support, have a clear understanding of the community and have reset expectations. The curriculum is sequenced towards ambitious endpoints, teaching is mostly effective, and staff value coherent professional learning. Pupils feel safe and supported; behaviour in lessons is typically calm, and personal development and careers guidance are well planned. Attendance and persistent absence have improved significantly but remain above national averages. The main priorities are to embed consistent high-quality teaching, use formative assessment to close gaps swiftly, improve achievement across all subjects so published outcomes rise, and sustain attendance improvements. Some pupils, especially in key stage 4, still have gaps from previous inconsistencies, and a few subjects have teaching strengths that are not yet well embedded.

Strengths

• Inclusion is central to the school's work and seen as everybody's responsibility.
• The Matrix, the school's specially resourced provision for pupils with autism, provides high-quality personalised support.
• Leaders accurately identify pupils' needs, especially for new arrivals and pupils known to social care.
• A specialist induction programme supports unaccompanied minors and early-stage English learners in partnership with the local authority.
• Support for disadvantaged pupils is well understood and closely monitored, including pupil premium and social care funding.
• Alternative provision is used appropriately and proportionately to rebuild pupils' confidence and engagement.
• Attendance and persistent absence have improved significantly, including for disadvantaged pupils and those known to social care.
• The school fosters mutual respect, and behaviour in lessons is typically calm and focused.
• Staff deal with discrimination and bullying quickly and effectively.
• The curriculum is appropriately sequenced with ambitious and clearly defined end points.
• Most teaching is effective, and teachers adapt activities well for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders have an accurate view of curriculum and teaching and identify suitable improvement priorities.
• Staff receive a coherent, evidence-informed professional learning programme and report positive workload and wellbeing support.
• The personal development programme is well planned and age-appropriate, including safeguarding lessons that respond to local risks.
• Pupils learn about equality, diversity, healthy relationships, and consent.
• Careers advice and workplace learning help pupils make informed choices about their next steps.
• Pastoral support, including the Oasis hub, helps vulnerable pupils develop a strong sense of belonging.
• Leaders work effectively with the trust, local authority, virtual school, and external agencies.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement remains below national averages, including in English and maths GCSE and Attainment 8.
• Progress 8 is negative and below the national average.
• Disadvantaged pupils' performance gaps remain wide, particularly in English and maths and Attainment 8.
• Published outcomes do not yet reflect the improved progress pupils make from starting at the school.
• The quality of teaching is not consistently high across all lessons and subjects.
• In a few subjects, effective teaching strengths are not well embedded.
• Some pupils are reluctant learners and have gaps in their learning.
• Strategies to support pupils with gaps are not always used consistently.
• Some key stage 4 pupils have larger learning gaps because of previous inconsistencies in teaching and curriculum.
• Formative assessment does not always identify and close gaps before moving on to new learning.
• Overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages despite recent improvements.
• Social times are occasionally less settled, and negative behaviour can affect some pupils' sense of security.
• Leaders are only beginning to use participation information strategically to widen access to enrichment activities.
• Further improvement is required to ensure all pupils achieve consistently well.

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 Oasis Academy Arena attended 89.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 33.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 13.3% of pupils at Oasis Academy Arena were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Oasis Academy Arena had 13.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 28.1% of pupils at Oasis Academy Arena were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 pupils.

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Oasis Academy Arena received £12,867 and spent £10,939 for each of its 371 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £325,000 (£877 per pupil).

Across all 56 schools of Oasis Community Learning, income was £9,249 and spending £9,031 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 Croydon · Croydon local authority: places and applications

Oasis Academy Arena is part of Oasis Community Learning, which runs 57 schools. The nearest others:

• Oasis Academy Ryelands London
• Oasis Academy Shirley Park Primary Croydon
• Oasis Academy Shirley Park Croydon
• Oasis Academy Byron Coulsdon
• Oasis Academy Surrey Square London
• Oasis Academy Coulsdon Croydon
• Oasis Academy South Bank London
• Oasis Academy South Bank Primary London
• Oasis Academy Silvertown London
• Oasis School 360 London

What is Oasis Academy Arena's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Oasis Academy Arena is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Oasis Academy Arena last inspected by Ofsted?

Oasis Academy Arena was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Oasis Academy Arena have?

Oasis Academy Arena has 310 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oasis Academy Arena cover?

Oasis Academy Arena for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Oasis Academy Arena's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.0, and 39% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Oasis Academy Arena?

Oasis Academy Arena is at Albert Road, South Norwood, London, SE25 4QL.