The Oaks Secondary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Secondary
Post 16
Special school
PUPILS
353
AGES
11 - 19
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Community special school

Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
0191 383 3000

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Outstanding
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(17/05/2023)
Full Report - All Reports

Special schools provide a unique and distinctive educational environment to meet the needs of the pupils in their community. Undertaking standard tests may not be appropriate and we do not show performance data for special schools.

View exam results via the link below and contact the school to ask about measuring pupil progress.

A Parent's Guide to Choosing a Special School

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94%
NATIONAL AVG. 87%
Happiness Rating

Ofsted Parent View

8.8:1
NATIONAL AVG. 16.3:1
Pupil/Teacher ratio
30.3%
NATIONAL AVG. 26.5%
Persistent Absence
2%
NATIONAL AVG. 18.6%
Pupils first language
not English
56.1%
NATIONAL AVG. 27.3%
Free school meals
Rock Road
Spennymoor
DL16 7DB
01388827380

School Description

Pupils flourish at Oaks Secondary School. Staff develop strong, caring relationships with pupils. Pupils rise to the high expectations that adults have for them. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Many expressed their appreciation by making similar comments that praised the school and staff, such as, ‘This school is amazing, teachers and support staff all understand my child and his individual needs.’ Another read, ‘As parents, we know our children are so well looked after and have a wonderful time at school.’ Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They move around school calmly and with great respect. Inspectors saw consistently positive interaction between pupils in all areas of the school. Pupils understand that they are all individuals and support one another. It was evident throughout the inspection that pupils’ safety is of the highest priority to all of the adults in the school. Pupils feel safe in school. They trust the adults who work with them and feel that they can always go to an adult if they need support with a concern. Pupils are aware of the exceptionally high expectations for their behaviour and they meet these expectations. Pupils say that staff will deal with any poor behaviour promptly. Pupils say that bullying does not happen, but if it ever did, they are confident that staff would act very quickly to stop it. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The adults across school are highly skilled at adapting the curriculum to meet the needs of individual pupils.

The Oaks Secondary School Parent Reviews



100% Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree 72% Agree 22% Disagree 5% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 0% {"strongly_agree"=>72, "agree"=>22, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 74% Agree 24% Disagree 0% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 2% {"strongly_agree"=>74, "agree"=>24, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 60% Agree 31% Disagree 3% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 5% {"strongly_agree"=>60, "agree"=>31, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>5} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
My Child Has Not Been Bullied 72% Strongly Agree 9% Agree 10% Disagree 0% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 9% {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>72, "strongly_agree"=>9, "agree"=>10, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>9} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 60% Agree 24% Disagree 10% Strongly Disagree 2% Don't Know 3% {"strongly_agree"=>60, "agree"=>24, "disagree"=>10, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>3} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns 38% Strongly Agree 38% Agree 16% Disagree 5% Strongly Disagree 2% Don't Know 2% {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>38, "strongly_agree"=>38, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 79% Agree 17% Disagree 2% Strongly Disagree 2% Don't Know 0% {"strongly_agree"=>79, "agree"=>17, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 62% Agree 28% Disagree 3% Strongly Disagree 3% Don't Know 3% {"strongly_agree"=>62, "agree"=>28, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>3} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 71% Agree 24% Disagree 3% Strongly Disagree 2% Don't Know 0% {"strongly_agree"=>71, "agree"=>24, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 67% Agree 26% Disagree 5% Strongly Disagree 2% Don't Know 0% {"strongly_agree"=>67, "agree"=>26, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 67% Agree 29% Disagree 2% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 2% {"strongly_agree"=>67, "agree"=>29, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 57% Agree 34% Disagree 3% Strongly Disagree 2% Don't Know 3% {"strongly_agree"=>57, "agree"=>34, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>3} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Strongly Agree 71% Agree 24% Disagree 3% Strongly Disagree 2% Don't Know 0% {"strongly_agree"=>71, "agree"=>24, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023
Yes 100% No 0% {"yes"=>100, "no"=>0} Figures based on 58 responses up to 21-05-2023

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

Your rating:
Review guidelines
  • Do explain who you are and your relationship to the school e.g. ‘I am a parent…’
  • Do back up your opinion with examples or clear reasons but, remember, it’s your opinion not fact.
  • Don’t use bad or aggressive language.
  • Don't go in to detail about specific staff or pupils. Individual complaints should be directed to the school.
  • Do go to the relevant authority is you have concerns about a serious issue such as bullying, drug abuse or bad management.
Read the full review guidelines and where to find help if you have serious concerns about a school.
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