School improving after turmoil, academy trust says

Oakbank School has been managed by the Greenshaw Learning Trust since September

A school which saw protests over the way it was being run "will be a success", the boss of the academy chain now responsible for it has said.

Oakbank School in Ryeish Green, Berkshire, was given the lowest possible rating by Ofsted in all four key areas following an inspection in November 2024.

High staff turnover and concerns about outcomes for pupils led to the protests in February and the school formally joined the Greenshaw Learning Trust (GLT) in September.

GLT's chief executive Will Smith told Wokingham councillors that parents living nearby are sending their children to schools much further away because of the school's poor reputation but that it is improving.

"I think you can expect within a year to see the tide change in terms of the view of the community of the school and in two or three years I think we're going to have a thriving community school," he said.

"That's our ambition," he added. "It will be a success, that I can guarantee you".

Mr Smith was invited by Wokingham Council's Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee to talk about the school's progress on Monday.

He said the GLT was initially contacted by the Department for Education and asked to give the school support after its Ofsted inspection.

It currently runs 40 schools in the south of England and is planning to open its first special school.

Millions of pounds of funding will be spent at the school to pay for vital upgrades.

"I'd like to say [the funding is] going to go on really exciting, new, wonderful buildings. It's going to make the school warm, safe and secure, which is what it needs. It's not these things at the moment," Mr Smith added.

A new headteacher who has worked with the GLT will join the school in the New Year as it rebuilds its reputation.

"We want to win the hearts and minds of the parents who are bussing their children an hour, an hour and a half – in some cases two, two and a half hours – to go to another school when they live 800 metres from Oakbank," Mr Smith said.