**Q: Have the missions and values of Oasis Academy Enfield changed in any way over the past year?**

**A:** The fundamental mission and values of Enfield have remained consistent: inclusion, high standards, and serving our local community. As one of the original schools under the Oasis Trust, our ethos and values are centered on being a genuine community school. My vision for the Academy continues to be that of a central community hub; a school that everyone in the vicinity is genuinely proud to call their own.

Enfield’s guiding principle, known as ‘The Enfield way,’ is to strive to be the best you can be. Over the past year, everyone at the Academy has united to embody this principle. We all adhere to the Oasis Trust character program, which emphasizes developing nine habits that help both staff and students become the best versions of themselves. These habits include being compassionate, patient, humble, joyful, honest, hopeful, considerate, forgiving, and self-controlled.

Another key principle this year has been “no one is left out.” This phrase encapsulates our mission: to support every student, whether they excel academically, face trauma, or have complex SEND needs, aligning with the ‘Oasis Way,’ our inclusion guide. As a multicultural school, acceptance and diversity are crucial to us, so we’ve broadened our staff recruitment to mirror our local community, ensuring representation throughout the school. This enables students to see themselves reflected in the staff, enhancing engagement and a sense of belonging.

We actively celebrate our diversity, with our calendar highlighting cultural and religious events such as Eid, Diwali, and Pride Month, culminating in our annual Culture Festival. These events promote inclusion, respect for differences, and understanding of British values, fostering a tolerant, supportive environment where all students can excel.

One of my deputies shared a heartwarming story that perfectly illustrates Enfield’s ethos of belonging: A Year 11 student, who was supposed to leave us for sixth form, felt mistreated by her new school on results day. She reached out to see if she could return to us, and my deputy responded, “Yes, of course, you can. Welcome home.” Within half an hour, she was at our door, registering for our sixth form. This story truly touched me and exemplifies our values here; we are indeed a school that feels like home and a community that feels like family.

**Q: What have been the Academy’s key achievements over the last year?**

**A:** Over the past year, Enfield has made notable progress in fostering an inclusive and high-achieving environment. I am dedicated to ensuring we provide an exceptional education for everyone in our community, and this year, we’ve seen that commitment come to fruition.

Firstly, we underwent an Ofsted inspection in March and were rated as a securely good provider. This achievement is significant because it means we now match the quality of education offered by other schools in Enfield; our community no longer needs to travel far to attend a good school, as we are conveniently located.

The report highlighted that our pupils are positive and respectful, we maintain high expectations for our students, and there are regular and enriching opportunities. It was a tangible acknowledgment of the excellent work accomplished in just two terms, with Ofsted particularly noting ‘positive behavior and attitudes’ and ‘personal development.’ It was gratifying to see evidence that our dedication to enhancing the quality of education at Enfield was yielding results, and that we are committed to supporting students’ well-being, welfare, and learning.

Beyond Ofsted, our Year 11 outcomes were the best we’ve seen since before COVID, achieved after only a year’s work with them. Our ‘value added’ score was positive for the first time in six years, a remarkable accomplishment that demonstrates we are significantly enhancing our students’ education.

Perhaps our most notable achievement this year has been the increase in student retention moving into our Sixth Form: over 70 percent of the students in our sixth form this year were with us in Year 11, compared to only about 20 percent last year. This substantial increase reflects the exceptional quality of experience our Year 11 students had last year, leading them to stay with us despite having many other options.

Academically, our top achievers have continued to excel. For example, one student achieved mostly nines and chose to remain with us for sixth form, studying further maths, maths, and sciences, entrusting us with his continued education despite having the option to attend any school in the area.

We’ve also celebrated strong outcomes for our Turkish-speaking community. We offer Turkish as a GCSE from Year 8 up to A-level, including a foreign trip in the sixth form, and last year, we had a 92% pass rate in the Turkish GCSE. We also provide English lessons for Turkish-speaking parents to ensure they can fully engage with the school.

Finally, we’ve maintained a strong sense of community. Our alumni events have become annual, with over 40 former students attending last year, demonstrating the lasting impact the school has on families. Many staff members live locally and bring their children here, reinforcing our role as a community hub.

**Q: What is the Academy’s approach to the curriculum and extracurriculars?**

**A:** Our curriculum adheres to the OCL framework, which has been quality-assured as ambitious and effective. Ofsted recognized our classroom education quality as good during their inspection. This year, we are focusing not only on students acquiring more knowledge but also on understanding it more deeply. We aim for students to achieve higher levels of critical thinking, problem-solving, and application of knowledge across subjects.

We want students to leave us with a passion for learning. Our ethos is rooted in developing learning-to-learn skills, so students enjoy learning, seek more knowledge, and question their teachers. Teaching students to be inquisitive is crucial because it enhances their ability to understand not just rules, but the world around them. We want our students to be a credit to their community; active citizens who contribute to keeping others safe and driving positive change. Enfield isn’t an exam factory; it’s about producing and developing well-rounded human beings.

One of our key curriculum developments over the past year has been expanding our inclusion offerings. We’ve seen an increase in students who are not secondary-ready, and in response, we’ve developed our own nurture group with specialist teachers to support these students. We also have provisions for students with severe SEND needs, ensuring they are fully integrated into the school community while receiving the support they require.

Beyond SEND, we’ve strengthened our alternative provision, allowing students who struggle in mainstream settings to access part-time mainstream timetables while remaining in school full-time, with smaller classes and fewer subjects if needed.

Although our official school day hasn’t changed, we have increased our number of after-school clubs, offering various sports and enrichment and intervention programs. Extracurriculars are integral to Enfield, so we have over 35 activities available each week, allowing children to stay longer and have more to do.

We provide opportunities in sports, arts, leadership, and community engagement. For instance, our basketball academy has enabled students to achieve scholarships in the U.S., and our performing arts showcase celebrates cultural diversity. Our extracurriculars also foster leadership, confidence, and teamwork skills that are essential for students’ futures.

We’ve extended our enrichment program into Year Nine, and our basketball academy now runs from Year 10 to 13. We are also in partnership with PSG, Paris Saint-Germain, running a football academy from Year 7 to 11.

Over the past year, we have also hosted delegate students from China for a week, taken everyone in Key Stage 3 to a theatre and a museum, and visited the London Dungeons. Every year, our Year 7 students go to the Lee Valley White Water Centre for team building, and this year, we’re introducing an educational trip to Spain, along with PGL and ski trips. My vision for our extracurricular offerings was already broad last year, but this academic year has already exceeded my expectations.

**Q: How do you measure the success of the Academy and your students beyond exam results?**

**A:** While we have had great success stories with our results, such as students who joined us in Year 11 without speaking English and left with eight GCSEs, we measure success in several ways beyond grades. Student retention is a significant indicator; we’ve retained some of our highest-performing students this year. Their willingness to entrust their education to us is a monumental testament to the Academy’s success – having our students’ faith is one of the most significant metrics of success we could have.

Another way we measure our success is through our careers and post-16 destinations: every student progresses to a sixth form, college, apprenticeship, or other vocational pathway. None of our students leave without a clear plan, and many achieve scholarships or move on to prestigious universities.

Student engagement and well-being are also measures of our success. Students consistently greet staff warmly, participate in school events, and demonstrate respect and responsibility, showing that we’ve successfully cultivated a fantastic school community.

Finally, we consider the broader impact of ‘success’ on students’ lives, particularly for those who join us with low prior attainment or who have faced trauma. Our goal is to change their social trajectory, so success looks like equipping them with skills, confidence, and resilience that extend beyond the classroom.

At Enfield, we distinguish ourselves by investing heavily in both academic success and character building. We aim for students to be the best they can be, both academically and as individuals. We are now a trauma-informed practice school with a silver award, which we received last summer. We also won the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award 2025 and are one of the only schools in Enfield with an NCCE Computing Quality Award.

**Q: How do you ensure students are well prepared for their futures?**

**A:** Preparing students for the future involves multiple facets. Academically, we ensure students achieve a deep understanding of subjects, aiming to move them beyond surface-level knowledge. We want them to think critically, question, and develop a love of learning.

Our careers program is also central to setting students up for their futures, with our Ofsted report highlighting it as a strength, particularly in the sixth form experience. All students in Year 11 have a one-on-one career guidance meeting with a qualified guidance counselor. We provide internal guidance, career fairs, and work experience opportunities, including placements with local employers. Students gain insight into professional environments, learn interview skills, and develop networks for future opportunities. We’ve introduced Year 10 work experience with a 100% participation rate, and we partner with organizations like Savills to give students real-world experience and exposure to professional environments.

Additionally, we focus on developing character and life skills. Students learn to navigate relationships, accept responsibility, and reflect on the impact of their actions. These lessons create active citizens who are prepared for both further education and adult life.

Finally, we’ve strengthened student voice and leadership opportunities. Through prefect roles, ambassador positions, and regular student voice sessions with staff, students learn to articulate opinions, influence school policy, and develop their critical thinking skills. These initiatives are particularly important for post-COVID cohorts, who may have missed out on leadership development in primary school.

**Q: Has the way you address wellbeing and support changed, and how do you address it?**

**A:** Well-being has always been central to our approach. We focus on creating a safe, kind, and responsible environment, which we refer to as our community expectations. Every student has the opportunity to reset and reflect, whether through pastoral support, mindfulness, or restorative practices.

Every interaction with a child in the Academy is an opportunity for learning. We don’t shy away from the fact that there are consequences to poor behavior, and we have high expectations, as clearly stated in our inspection report. However, everyone is given a chance to reset because everyone makes mistakes; these are young people learning. They must be able to fail.

But every relationship is always restored, and we always take the time to nurture an understanding of what they would have done differently had they had time to think about their actions or not react the way they did.

We are very proud to work in direct partnership with community workers through the Oasis Hub. Youth workers are present in the school daily, working with our young people and their families. We also run a parenting course called Encounter to support parents facing challenging circumstances.

To improve safety, we employ staff to patrol the local community until all children are in school by 9 o’clock. This makes students and parents feel safer. Our care for children starts before the school day and extends after it, ensuring they get home safely. We maintain an adult presence around the school, making ourselves available to parents and children who need support.

With higher mobility and increasing poverty rates emerging as trends nationally and regionally, many of our families are struggling to cope. It’s key to Enfield’s ethos that our support extends to the whole family, not just the individual student. If a family is in crisis, we have a comprehensive team ready to support them.

My vision is to extend the school day to 6 o’clock, benefiting families and students who feel safer and more occupied at school rather than being home alone until their parents finish work. This provision would not be compulsory but available for those who needed it. To me, being a community school means we are here to support our students until parents can take over.

**Q: To what extent has the Academy’s reputation improved over the last year and how are you continuing the effort to improve it?**

**A:** Our reputation has grown significantly both locally and within the broader educational community over the past year. Examining bodies, parents, and students are increasingly recognizing the quality of education and support we provide. More frequently, I am approached by families and community members expressing pride in our school, which is reflected in our growing enrollment and reports.

We have high expectations of our students and consistently work to enable them to build their own positive relationships, with a firm foundation of boundaries and respect for those around them. Our relationships with our students are not built on hierarchy and fear. They are built on a commitment to having healthy relationships, which enables them to thrive, flourishing into excellent ambassadors for the school.

Our alumni engagement events also demonstrate that our impact lasts beyond the classroom. Our focus on both academic success and character development ensures students leave us as well-rounded, socially responsible individuals, which builds trust and respect in the community. Achieving this requires consistency across teaching, pastoral support, and extracurricular opportunities.

**Q: You’ve been at the Academy for a year and a half now. Looking back, what have been your favorite moments?**

**A:** I’ve absolutely loved being Principal of Oasis Academy Enfield. I love it. I love waking up every day and coming to work. The