SW100/3—Secondary @ Oasis Academy South Bank
🚌 London School Visits 2023
Meanwhile, a few miles up the road from primary colleagues, our secondary leaders spent the day with Anna Richardson and her team at Oasis Academy South Bank.
Oasis Academy South Bank is a 4FE secondary school (feat. sixth form) nestled between Waterloo train station, the Imperial War Museum and The Old Vic.1
The school exists to ensure that,
We were keen to visit to explore the key drivers behind the school’s consistently strong outcomes and to better understand how they’re supporting their children and families beyond the school gates.
How did it feel?
Before we get into what we did and what we learned, exactly, I want to open this dispatch by raising something intangible that many people felt during the visit: ‘OASB feels real’.
It’s a school that exudes warmth, honesty and authenticity. It’s a school that’s proud of its successes, with positive habits deeply embedded into daily life, but it’s also a school that’s open about the wrinkles it’s working hard to smooth out.
‘I can’t really describe it but I found it amazing and inspiring—but also very real, human and achievable.’
While difficult to articulate precisely, there was something about our visitors experiencing the ‘realness’ of the school and the authenticity2 of its leaders’ reflections that resonated strongly with all and proved a powerful experience.
So what did we do?
Our visit started before we’d even arrived at the school. Our guide for the day, Michael Slavinsky (former Head of Sixth Form at OASB), scooped us up from Lambeth North tube station to explore OASB’s immediate surroundings.
Why?
Because context matters—and Waterloo’s a long way from Wadebridge!
With that in mind, we took a bit of time to situate our visit with a shared understanding of the specific physical assets, opportunities and challenges surrounding the school.
While brief, our early morning sojourn framed the visit and helped us to better comprehend how OASB’s leaders continue to develop and refine strategies and initiatives that resonate with their community, foster more inclusive environments, and drive improved educational outcomes.
After a quick hello and warm welcome, we immersed ourselves in the school’s early morning routines. We saw how OASB run line-ups and whole-school Drop Everything And Read sessions.
We went on learning walks.
We spent time reflecting on the school’s routines and values with students.
We spent lots of time with Anna and her senior leaders exploring the principles underpinning some of the school’s strategies—for example, OASB’s literacy strategy and its approach to recruiting, developing and retaining great teachers.
What did we learn?
Well, loads. There were some big leadership takeaways and some smaller technical ones too (particularly around the tightness of OASB’s systems and routines).
Following the visit, we asked everyone to reflect on what most impressed them about the visit and how the experience will influence their leadership going forward. Two themes came through strongly…
1️⃣ Authentic leadership
Our leaders were bowled over by Anna’s low-ego leadership approach, and the candour, warmth and authenticity she brought to proceedings. Many found validation in seeing this approach yielding such a positive environment and sustained educational outcomes.
“[I am leaving with more] courage to be my authentic self in my leadership journey. Anna was really inspirational”
“[I am leaving with more] confidence that ‘love’ ‘nurture’ and ‘community’ are as important as ‘academic achievement’. It is something I believe in, but seeing it in action has fuelled my desire to make it a reality!”
“I felt the visit was a true representation of the school and no area or subject were off limits. A great role model.”
“The visit felt very collaborative and honest. The discussion about the school’s strengths and challenges felt genuine, as did the acceptance that it wasn’t perfect”
“The opportunity to walk the floor before the vision and context presentation was extremely powerful”.
“Very much a ‘dance floor’ leader opposed to ‘balcony’ leader”
2️⃣ Collective unity and belonging
“Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable”, so says the Kenyan proverb.
We saw something like this at OASB. Many visitors remarked on the ‘tightness’ and ‘close-knit nature’ of the school’s relationships and we enjoyed exploring the role that the school’s ‘three pillars’ have played in both creating these and contributing to a wider sense of unity and belonging over time.
“The culture of togetherness and sense of drive from all staff to ensure all students live the Oasis values was extremely impressive. I felt that all staff collectively knew their responsibilities and how much they impact on the lives of the students they teach. Seeing pride in all implementation was outstanding."
“The ‘three pillars’ at Oasis South Bank is evident in every aspect of the school day, the warmth within ‘warm and strict’ floods the school building. Team over individual is demonstrated by every single member of staff ‘pulling in the same direction’.”
In a nutshell…
If you had to boil it down, our visit to Oasis Academy South Bank showcased an environment where authenticity, unity and strong sense of community are underpinning a dynamic—yet secure—educational setting for staff, students and families alike.
Fun fact: the school also lays claim to the closest farm to Parliament!
‘Authenticity’ was the most frequently used word in visitors’ reflections