I am writing in response to your coverage last week about Oasis Academy Mayfield in Southampton and to challenge the idea that we lack experience and skills in education.
We believe we are well placed to develop new schools, to nurture them and to see them grow into successful environments where young people get the best possible opportunities to realise their talents, despite sometimes challenging circumstances.
In a number of academies we have already seen significant improvements in pupil attendance and big increases in the numbers getting A*-Cs at GCSE. For example, Oasis Academy Wintringham had its best results ever with 55 per cent of students achieving 5 A*-C grades. In our other academies, tangible change and transformation are already evident - in Bristol, Coulsdon and Salford.
Our education team is highly qualified and includes inspirational headteachers who have been instrumental in bringing schools out of special measures and achieving Ofsted ratings of excellent or outstanding. Others have worked successfully at a senior level in local authorities. Howard Green, the education director, is an experienced headteacher, who has worked as a special adviser on leadership to the Department for Children, Schools and Families and also developed national programmes for senior leadership teams through the National College for School Leadership.
As part of the education team, we are proud to have experienced principals leading the academies, including Ruth Johnson our principal at Oasis Academy Mayfield.
Steve Chalke, Chief executive, Oasis Community Learning.
