The Oaks Academy

The Oaks Academy, part of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, has demonstrated a good overall effectiveness in its first inspection since reopening in 2019. The school has successfully created a positive and supportive environment that fosters pupil well-being and academic aspirations, particularly highlighting improvements in the curriculum and pupil engagement compared to its predecessor. Although student behavior is commendable, the school still faces challenges from past underperformance in public examinations, which impacted previous grades for some pupils. The school is now focused on ensuring all students achieve their potential through high expectations and effective teaching strategies.

Strengths

• A welcoming and supportive environment for pupils.
• High aspirations and support for pupils with SEND.
• Ambitious and broad curriculum in place.
• Effective pastoral support systems to promote well-being.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers.
• Effective emphasis on reading across the curriculum.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities for pupil engagement.
• Clear vision and effective leadership from the school and trust.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent clarity in how some teachers present new information.
• Ineffectiveness in assessment strategies in some subjects.

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 The Oaks Academy attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.6% 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, 9.1% of pupils at The Oaks Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 The Oaks Academy had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% 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, 15.4% of pupils at The Oaks Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 The Oaks Academy received £8,511 and spent £8,338 for each of its 651 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £33,000 (-£51 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, income was £7,536 and spending £7,682 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 Crewe · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

The Oaks Academy is part of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Crewe Engineering and Design UTC Crewe
• Cheshire Studio School Crewe
• Wistaston Church Lane Academy Crewe
• Sir William Stanier School Crewe
• Leighton Academy Crewe
• Shavington Primary School Crewe
• Wheelock Primary School Sandbach
• Dove Bank Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Castle Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Congleton High School Congleton

What is The Oaks Academy's Ofsted rating?

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

When was The Oaks Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Oaks Academy was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does The Oaks Academy have?

The Oaks Academy has 681 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Oaks Academy cover?

The Oaks Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Oaks Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 32.6, and 15% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Oaks Academy?

The Oaks Academy is at Buchan Grove, Crewe, CW2 7NQ.