• Support Wokingham Today
  • Get the print edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Monday, May 12, 2025
Wokingham.Today
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • All
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
    • Riseley
    • Shinfield
    • Sindlesham
    • Sonning
    • Spencers Wood
    • Swallowfield
    • Three Mile Cross
    • Twyford
    • Wargrave
    • Winnersh
    • Wokingham
    • Wokingham Without
    • Woodley
    • Woosehill
    • Yateley
    Residents of West Oak care home enjoyed a day by the lake at Dinton Pastures. Picture West Oak care home

    Care home residents enjoy a day at Dinton Pastures

    Not Impressed by Jamie Smart, the ?Pet Portraits? winner last year.

    Young photographers urged to enter prestigious competition

    A Friendship Table gives an opportunity to meet people in a safe and friendly environment at Finchamstead Baptist Church cafe every Tuesday morning. PIcture: Derek Robinson via Pixabay

    Share memories over a cup of tea in Earley

    It wants to open from 8am until 11pm every day.

    New restaurant set for Crowthorne

    Councillor David Bragg, mayor of Woodley. Pic: Woodley town council.

    New mayor for Woodley

    Lovelace Road, Bracknell Picture: Wikimedia Commons

    £7.3m plan for Bracknell’s roads and transport approved

    Focused Friends from Optalis delivered chocolate eggs to Wokingham Hospital patients at Easter. Pictures: Optalis

    Focused Friends delivered Easter Cheer

    Some services will see an increase in frequency. Pic: Stewart Turkington.

    Bus services set to expand

    Wokingham Writers Group meets at Wokingham Library on the third Saturday of each month, from 10am until noon. Picture: Aaron Burden via Unsplash

    Want to meet other writers?

  • SPORT
    • All
    • Binfield FC
    • Reading FC
    Ruben Selles, Reading Manager

    Former Reading FC boss could face the sack despite Championship survival

    AFC Winfield collected silverware. Pic: Andrew Batt

    Football round-up: The Boars are going up

    Bracknell Bees Ice Hockey Picture: Wikimedia Commons, davidgsteadman

    Berkshire Bees, previously known as Bracknell Bees, could be forced to fold

    Harvey Knibbs Picture: Luke Adams

    ‘It’s a huge step towards getting your club back’: Reading FC star sends message to the fans

    Rams RFC

    Rams RFC trio named in The Rugby Paper’s Dream Team

    Former Reading FC star crowned as Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich

    Joel

    Berkshire-Born Athlete Joel Armotrading signs Major Basketball NCAA Division 1 Contract with University of Nevada, Reno

    Reading FC Picture: Luke Adams

    Reading FC removed from EFL embargo list after publishing 2023/24 accounts

    Jonny WIlkinson

    Sporting legend Jonny Wilkinson joins Parkrunners in Bracknell

  • READING FC
  • COMMUNITY
    Residents of West Oak care home enjoyed a day by the lake at Dinton Pastures. Picture West Oak care home

    Care home residents enjoy a day at Dinton Pastures

    Not Impressed by Jamie Smart, the ?Pet Portraits? winner last year.

    Young photographers urged to enter prestigious competition

    A Friendship Table gives an opportunity to meet people in a safe and friendly environment at Finchamstead Baptist Church cafe every Tuesday morning. PIcture: Derek Robinson via Pixabay

    Share memories over a cup of tea in Earley

    It wants to open from 8am until 11pm every day.

    New restaurant set for Crowthorne

    Councillor David Bragg, mayor of Woodley. Pic: Woodley town council.

    New mayor for Woodley

    Focused Friends from Optalis delivered chocolate eggs to Wokingham Hospital patients at Easter. Pictures: Optalis

    Focused Friends delivered Easter Cheer

    Wokingham Writers Group meets at Wokingham Library on the third Saturday of each month, from 10am until noon. Picture: Aaron Burden via Unsplash

    Want to meet other writers?

    Royal Berkshire Hospital

    Tributes paid as League of Friends president passes away

    AFC Winfield collected silverware. Pic: Andrew Batt

    Football round-up: The Boars are going up

  • LIFESTYLE
    • All
    • Food
    • Health
    • Obituaries
    • People
    Not Impressed by Jamie Smart, the ?Pet Portraits? winner last year.

    Young photographers urged to enter prestigious competition

    It wants to open from 8am until 11pm every day.

    New restaurant set for Crowthorne

    Royal Berkshire Hospital

    Tributes paid as League of Friends president passes away

    St Paul's Church's pre-dawn service gathered worshippers in darkness to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Picture: Emma Merchant

    Church Notes

    Major Ezra Rhodes served in the Battle of Kohima. His daughter Pat Firth remembers. Pictures: Pat Firth

    ‘A bullet through his helmet narrowly missed Dad’s head’

    Advertising for the Forest of Imagination. Pic: Wokingham Labour.

    ‘Waste of money’ claims dismissed over Wokingham community project

    KEELY Bryan Thomas “Paul”

    Broad Street Beats is back to mark Mental Health Awareness Week

    Gordon Veitch leaves a legacy of dedication and kindness as he steps down as a Wokingham United Charities trustee. Picture: Emma Merchant

    WUC thanks Gordon Veitch for his dedication and kindness

  • WHAT’S ON
    • All
    • Arts
    • Entertainment
    Eva Wong Nava will be at Trinity Hall Church on Monday from 4pm until 5pm. Picture: Eva Wong Nava

    Young writers can meet children’s author Eva Wong Nava

    Crafters can join a project  to decorate Twyford village centre with bunting Picture: Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

    Get out the bunting for VE Day at Wokingham’s May Fayre

    Crowthorne Symphony Orchestra's performance of American music promises to be a fun and high energy evening. Picture: CSO

    Discounted tickets available for summer concert in Wokingham

    The Wokingham Lions Club has announced its new season of  #WOKY Comedy Nights at Wokingham Theatre, will begin on Friday, October 4. Picture: Wokingham Lions Club

    Enjoy the last of this season’s #Woky Comedy Night

    A concert at Wokingham Baptist Church will celebrate Ukrainian culture and support charity. Picture: Olena Romanovska

    Wokingham to host a concert of Ukrainian music and dancing

    Priscilla at South Hill Park Pictures: Alex Harvey-Brown

    REVIEW: The true colours of SHP’s Priscilla are beautiful like a rainbow

    Everyman Cinema, Wokingham Picture: Wokingham Today

    Everyman Cinema in Wokingham to host EuroVisision 2025 Final viewing party

    (c) Alex Brenner.

    REVIEW: “Piaf” at The Watermill Theatre (Newbury)

    The Great Big Dinosaur show

    The Great Big Dinosaur show is coming to Maidenhead

  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT
No Result
View All Result
Wokingham.Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Community

Anthem Trust to transfer Oakbank school

by Andrew Batt
February 5, 2025
in Community, Education, Featured, News, Swallowfield, Wokingham
Oakbank school in Ryeish Green. Pic: Google.

Oakbank school in Ryeish Green. Pic: Google.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Anthem Trust has confirmed it has started the process of transferring its running of Oakbank school.

The news comes following a damning report from Ofsted, in which the Ryeish Green school was rated as being “inadequate” in many aspects.

A statement provided to Wokingham Today said: The board of trustees at Anthem Schools Trust has been evaluating all possible strategies to further improve outcomes for students at Oakbank School in Wokingham..

“Anthem Schools Trust has been in discussion with the Department for Education (DfE) since December, to explore the best way forward for the school.

“After long deliberation, the Trust believes that it is in the best interests of Oakbank School to transfer it to a trust that can offer support at a more local level.

“We have, therefore, asked the DfE to begin the process of transferring Oakbank to another trust.

Related posts

Care home residents enjoy a day at Dinton Pastures

Young photographers urged to enter prestigious competition

“A decision on which trust will take over Oakbank school will be made in March.

“In the interim period, we will be working closely with Greenshaw Learning Trust, our assigned school improvement partner, as we seek to bring about rapid change at Oakbank and continue its improvement journey.”

Mohsen Ojja, the CEO of Anthem Schools Trust, said: “At Anthem, our goal will always be to do what is best for the young people we support, and this decision was made with the school’s students first and foremost in our minds.

“A final decision about which multi-academy trust will take over the running of the school will be made in March.

“In the meantime, we look forward to working with our improvement partner Greenshaw Learning Trust, which shares our values and commitment to providing the very best education provision for students.”

The recently-published Ofsted report based on an inspection of November 13 and 14 rated the school as inadequate in quality of education. behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. It had previously been rated as ‘requires improvement’.

The inspection was carried out following a number of complaints made to Ofsted that raised serious concerns.

The damning report noted: “Turbulence in leadership, and high staff turnover, have destabilised this school community. As a result, lots of changes have been introduced. Many systems and procedures are new and not applied consistently well. The school does not have high enough expectations of pupils’ behaviour and achievement.”

It said: “The board of trustees has failed in their statutory duty to keep pupils safe.

“The school and those responsible for governance have not done enough to ensure that pupils behave well and receive an acceptable standard of education.

“The school’s capacity to improve is weak. Recent instability in leadership and the high numbers of staff leaving the school have made this situation even worse.

“Many staff feel that they have too much to do in too little time. This negatively affects their well-being and workload.”

It also noted how the arrangements for safeguarding at the school are “not effective”.

At the recent full council meeting of Wokingham Borough Council, the leader of the council, Cllr Stephen Conway, said: “I am sure that all councillors across the chamber feel very much for the children at the school and their parents and families at this difficult time.

“The council is, of course, going to continue to do all it can to support the school, the children, and the parents.

“We have been trying to do all we can, and we will continue to do all we can, but it is really important to emphasise again that the council has a role it can play in trying to persuade, and encourage, the Trust to do certain things, but the trusts are not answerable to the council.

“The Trusts are only answerable to the regional director of the Department for Education.

“The regional director will decide on the future of the school, not the council.

“It is really important to emphasise that these bodies, these trusts, were set up to be completely independent of local authority control, and I have to say we are now seeing the fruits of that.”

Parents and carers of pupils at Oakbank school receoved a letter this afternoon, in which the CEO of Anthem Trust said : “We appreciate that this has been an unsettling time for the school community, and I would like to stress that we arecommitted to minimising disruption to the students’ education was we natigate the transition period.”

Yuan Yang, MP for Woodley and Earley, welcomed the news.

She said: “Pupils and teachers at the school have been failed by the Anthem Schools Trust, and I hope this is an opportunity for a fresh start.

“The priorities now must be to rapidly improve safeguarding at the school and support those Year 11 pupils approaching their GCSEs.

”I’m absolutely committed to continuing to meet with parents and Greenshaw Learning Trust and supporting Oakbank students.

“Last week, I met Dame Kate Dethridge, regional director for the South East at the DfE, and raised the concerns of parents and carers.

”More than 100 Oakbank parents have contacted my office following the outcome of the school’s Ofsted report, and have shared very worrying experiences.

“While I am pleased that there has been a swift resolution for Oakbank School, it is clear that more accountability is needed for multi-academy trusts when schools are failing.

”I will continue to follow the situation, and my team will continue to speak to parents in the wake of this news.“

Wokingham Today understands a planned protest is still set to go ahead at the school on Wednesday afternoon.

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Previous Post

Future WBC HQ options narrowed

Next Post

Former Reading FC defender makes loan move one year after Royals transfer

FOLLOW US

POPULAR THIS WEEK

Save Laurel Park rally - Cllr John Halsall

Defeat for former leader

May 8, 2025

Broad Street Beats is back to mark Mental Health Awareness Week

May 5, 2025
Shinfield Studios.

Call for “Watch British” campaign

May 8, 2025
Jonathan Newey will demonstrate how to paint buildings in line and wash at the Bradbury Centre. Picture: Wokingham Art Society

See artists at work in Wokingham

May 10, 2025
Victory in Europe was celebrated in Wokingham in 1945 with sober restraint.

Scenes of restrained sober but thankful jubilance

May 8, 2025
Post box toppers and war memorial garlands made by the Barkham Hookers are in celebration and in memory of VE Day joy and sacrifice. Pictures: Barkham Hookers

Wokingham Hookers decorate Arborfield for VE Day

May 7, 2025

ABOUT US

Wokingham Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Wokingham. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Wokingham Borough.

Wokingham.Today is a Social Enterprise and aims to ensure that everyone within the Borough has free access to independent and up-to-date news. However, providing this service is not without costs. If you are able to, please make a contribution to support our work.

CONTACT US

news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Support Us
  • Book Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: editor@wokingham.today, or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
  • COMMUNITY
  • LIFESTYLE
  • SPORT
  • READING FC
  • OBITUARIES
  • WHAT’S ON
  • JOBS
  • PHOTOS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • CONTACT US
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION
  • SUPPORT US

© 2022 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.

Notifications