Oasis Academy Oldham Review 2026, Improving secondary with a structured day and strong wellbeing support

A school that has spent the last few years tightening routines, raising expectations, and broadening opportunity. Oasis Academy Oldham serves students aged 11 to 16, with capacity for 1,500, and a large intake each year, its published admissions number is 300. Local demand is real. In the most recent admissions cycle 325 applications resulted in 245 offers, so there were about 1.33 applications per offered place.

The leadership picture has recently shifted. Tariq Mahmood took up post as Principal from 01 September 2024, following a competitive appointment process. The story parents will care about most, though, is day to day consistency. The academy day runs 08:25 to 14:35, with a clear period structure and a wide range of clubs that extend the day for those who want it.

The June 2024 Ofsted inspection rated the school Good across all graded areas, marking an important milestone in the school’s improvement journey. Safeguarding is effective, and the report describes a calm, predictable culture where students understand expectations.

This is a diverse, mixed secondary where the tone is increasingly purposeful. The most helpful way to understand the atmosphere is to look at the mechanisms the school uses to create it. A structured timetable, a clearly defined start to the day, and a behaviour system that is meant to be applied consistently. That matters for families who have previously experienced uneven standards, because consistency is what makes a large secondary feel manageable.

Student leadership is part of the culture, with pupils taking formal roles and contributing to practical decisions about school life. That kind of participation often correlates with improved buy in, especially among older year groups, because students can see that their views lead to tangible outcomes rather than symbolic consultation.

Wellbeing support is unusually visible for a mainstream 11 to 16 academy. The school works with Place2Be, including access to drop in style support and structured sessions for students who need more regular input. For some families, particularly those managing anxiety, friendship issues, or attendance challenges, that external partnership is a meaningful differentiator.

The school is part of Oasis Community Learning, and the trust model is not just a background governance detail. Trust capacity shows up in areas like staff development, curriculum alignment, and external partnerships. Parents should still judge the experience at classroom level, but the trust context matters when a school is in active improvement.

FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking places Oasis Academy Oldham 3,183rd in England and 14th in Oldham (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This sits below England average overall, within the lower 40% of schools in England on this measure, so families should approach with clear eyes about attainment levels and the need for sustained progress.

The attainment and progress measures reinforce that picture. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 38.7, and its Progress 8 score is -0.39. A negative Progress 8 figure indicates that, on average, students made less progress than peers nationally from similar starting points across the measured period. That does not mean individual students cannot thrive, but it does suggest that consistency across subjects, and targeted support for gaps, are central to the school’s next phase.

There are, however, signs of strengthening practice that matter to parents more than a single statistic. Reading is treated as a priority, with gaps identified and addressed through targeted support. Curriculum ambition has increased, and more students are choosing to study the English Baccalaureate subject suite at key stage 4, which tends to support breadth and post 16 flexibility.

For families comparing schools locally, FindMySchool’s local hub and comparison tools can be useful, particularly to benchmark Progress 8 and the GCSE ranking alongside nearby options with similar intakes.

The curriculum direction is increasingly explicit. Leaders have raised ambition across subjects, including for students with special educational needs and disabilities, and there is a clear emphasis on what pupils should know and remember over time. In most subjects, that is supported by secure teacher subject knowledge and clear explanations, which is the foundation for good learning in a large comprehensive intake.

The main teaching and learning risk is unevenness between departments. Where a subject has been through frequent curriculum change, pupils can end up with patchy knowledge, and assessment practice can become inconsistent. The practical implication for parents is that support at home, and early contact with staff when a student falls behind, can make a bigger difference here than it might in a school with uniformly strong departmental practice.

Personal, social and health education is designed to be practical. It includes themes such as personal safety, managing money, and preparation for work, which is exactly what many families want from an 11 to 16 school with a wide local intake. Careers education is also framed by the provider access expectations, so students should receive structured exposure to technical and apprenticeship routes as well as sixth form pathways elsewhere.

Where Students Go Next

With no sixth form, all students move on to post 16 providers at the end of Year 11. The most useful question is not where students go in aggregate, because the school does not publish a detailed destination breakdown here, but how well the school prepares students to make a confident decision.

Careers guidance is positioned as an ongoing programme rather than a Year 11 add on. Students receive information about employment pathways and technical education routes, alongside more traditional academic progression. For families, that means conversations about college, apprenticeships, and sixth form choices should begin earlier than Year 11, and the school’s careers work can be used as the structure around which parents add their own research.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through Oldham Local Authority rather than direct application to the school. The key dates for the most recent cycle show the pattern families should expect year to year: applications open on 01 August and close at 17:00 on 31 October, with offers released on 02 March.

Demand indicates the academy is oversubscribed. With 325 applications and 245 offers in the recorded year, competition exists but is not at the extreme levels seen in some borough hotspots. The school’s published admissions number is 300, so the offers figure also suggests that not every applicant is offered a place, and late applicants should expect reduced choice.

The school also highlights that visits can be arranged outside formal open events when needed. In practice, families who have a child with specific needs or anxieties about transition often find a quieter visit more informative than a busy open evening.

Parents who want to assess realistic chances should focus on admissions criteria rather than informal catchment assumptions, and use precise mapping tools where distance is relevant, even when last distance offered data is not published.

Pastoral support is presented as a system rather than a single team. It focuses on relationships, rewards for behaviour and attendance, and partnership working with external organisations for more complex cases. The practical value is in early intervention, particularly around attendance, anxiety, and peer conflict, where delays tend to compound.

The Place2Be partnership adds a layer of accessible mental health support. Students can access drop in conversations and, where appropriate, more structured support in a dedicated space. For families, this reduces the friction involved in getting early help for worries that are not severe enough for specialist services but still disruptive to learning.

The school also takes a proactive approach to transition, with tours and early familiarisation for incoming Year 7s. That matters in a large secondary because the first term is often when attendance and confidence patterns are set.

The school’s extended offer starts early, with breakfast provision from 07:30, then after school activities typically running 14:45 to 15:45. That matters for two reasons. First, it gives working families additional supervision around the school day. Second, it creates a practical route into belonging for students who struggle socially, because clubs provide an easier entry point than unstructured breaktime.

In terms of what students actually do, the school has highlighted a minimum of 35 clubs each week across lunch and after school. Examples include skateboarding, chess, cycling skills, virtual driving and circus skills, alongside arts, music, sports and drama options. From a parent perspective, the breadth is less important than match. A student who does not see themselves as sporty can still find an identity through something skill based or performance based, which often improves attendance and behaviour.

Sport is present with both participation and team identity. Activities referenced include handball and cheerleading, and students also use an on site fitness suite. The implication is a sports offer that extends beyond the traditional football and netball menu, which can improve uptake among students who prefer individual fitness or newer team sports.

Enrichment also has external links. The school references partnerships and providers such as St John’s Ambulance, Oldham Music Service, Debate Mate, and the Manchester Universities Confucius Centre. The practical payoff for students is access to workshops, training, and experiences that are harder to fund internally in a state secondary, and that can translate into stronger personal statements and interview confidence later on.

Duke of Edinburgh runs from Year 9 at Bronze level, which is a useful marker of ambition and organisation in extracurricular life. For many students, the main benefit is not the certificate but the structured habit of committing to an activity, a skill, and service over time.

The academy day runs Monday to Friday, with students expected on site by 08:25 and the day ending at 14:35. A breakfast offer runs from 07:30, and many clubs extend the afternoon to around 15:45, typically without charge.

There is no dedicated school bus service. Families are directed to local Transport for Greater Manchester travel information for bus and train route planning, so commute feasibility should be checked early, particularly for winter travel and for students who will rely on public transport.

Term dates are published for the 2025 to 2026 year, which helps families plan childcare and holidays around the school calendar.

• Progress and consistency across subjects. The Progress 8 score of -0.39 suggests that not all students are making the progress they should from their starting points. Families should ask how the school identifies gaps early and what subject support looks like when a student falls behind.

• An 11 to 16 model. With no sixth form, every student transitions after Year 11. This can suit families who want a deliberate fresh start at 16, but it requires earlier planning for colleges and sixth form applications.

• Oversubscription. Applications exceed offers year, so admission cannot be assumed, particularly for late applications or families expecting mid year movement.

• Finish time and childcare planning. A 14:35 finish can be helpful for learning focus, but it may require clubs or home arrangements for working households, especially on days when a student does not attend an activity.

Oasis Academy Oldham is a large community secondary that has put structure, wellbeing, and raised expectations at the centre of its improvement work. The academic picture in the rankings and progress measures remains a work in progress, but the operational direction is clearer than it was. It suits families who value a predictable school day, visible pastoral support including in school mental health provision, and a broad enrichment menu that can help students build confidence and belonging. The main question for parents is not whether the school has improved, it has, but whether the next stage of progress will be strong enough for their child’s learning profile.