PAN Reduction Consultation

Oasis Academy Arena is a small and friendly secondary academy located in South Norwood, where children enjoy learning and are supported to achieve their best. Our teachers, wider staff team, parents and carers are all committed to building on our successes and making the academy an exceptional school for our students. In our latest Ofsted report, inspectors recognised that our curriculum is ambitious and broad, our teachers are knowledgeable about their subject and pupils feel safe, are interested in their lessons and behave respectfully and treat each other well. (Ofsted 2023).

When the school was opened in September 2015, it was responding to a predicted need for more secondary school places in Croydon. At this time, it was anticipated that Oasis Academy Arena would serve 900 students (180 in each year group) once fully operational. However, as time has passed, the number of children needing secondary places in the north part of Croydon has remained static and as a result the school has operated with around 120 students in each year group, totalling no more than 600 students. This notification is part of a formal process that aims to officially reduce the school’s published admission number (PAN) from 180 students in each year group to 120 students.

This will enable the school to continue to operate at its current size and will enable us to more effectively focus our learning and teaching resources to continuously improve the education offered. The Trust and Academy staff are working hard to maintain and improve the outcomes for our young people and feel strongly that the proposed reduction will benefit future outcomes, whilst still enabling us to meet the demand for places in the local area.

There will be no other changes to the admission arrangements and the proposed change will not affect any of our current pupils or those who choose to accept an offer for a Year 7 place in September 2025.

All current and future parents and any other interested stakeholders can make comments on this proposal and information on how you can do this is detailed at the end of this notification.

Proposal

Our proposal is for the Oasis Academy Arena to reduce its PAN from 180 to 120, which would also reduce overall capacity from 900 to 600 students.

The main benefits of this proposal are:

• To effectively focus our learning and teaching resources to continue to improve the education offered
• To retain the small school feel of the academy going forwards

The Schools Admissions Code 2021 sets out a requirement for all Admission Authorities (in this case the Academy) to undertake statutory consultation where they propose a variation to the Published Admission Number (PAN) of a school.

The purpose of consultation is to ensure transparency and openness on the contents of a proposal and allow parents, carers and other interested stakeholders to make a representation that will be considered as part of the determination of the proposal. Your feedback is important to us and we welcome your views on the proposed changes.

Who are we consulting with?

• the local authority
• neighbouring local authorities (where a significant number of pupils travel across boundaries)
• parents of children who attend the academy
• parents in the area through online notifications
• primary, secondary, AP and special schools and sixth form and FE colleges in the area (as relevant), including those in neighbouring local authority areas where relevant
• local members of parliament and councillors

Consultation

Monday 7th October 2024	Consultation opens for 8 weeks including the 2-week half term break and one INSET Day
Monday 4th November 2024, 5.30 pm - 6 pm	Consultation Information Event for the community with Principal, Jeanette Bell
Sunday 1st December 2024	End of consultation period and deadline for submitting responses
w/c 9th December 2024	Analysis of consultation representations and preparation of information to be considered by the DfE
January 2025	Application to DfE
February 2025	Formal determination of admission arrangements
March 2025	Publication of determined admission arrangements

 

How to respond

This consultation will run from 7th October 2024 to 1st December 2024. You are invited to submit responses to OCL using this online form, which will be live on 7th October 2024. Responses will be shared with the Local Authority and DfE.

https://forms.office.com/e/YGEGBVkKjG

If you are unable to access these links, please email Melanie Kolandawel at melanie.kolandawel@oasisarena.org for an email version of the questions.

Jeanette Bell

Principal