4th January 2012

MEDIA RELEASE FROM OASIS Oasis Community Learning Plans its First Free School in Waterloo
Oasis Community Learning, today, launches its proposal to establish a brand new secondary school for the Lambeth North and Waterloo area which will open in September 2013. Public consultation meetings for local parents and carers will be held on: th Tuesday 10 January 2012 from 1545-1700 at Johanna Primary, Oasis Academy Waterloo. th Monday 16 January 2012 from 1600-1800 at the Oasis Centre, 75 Westminster Bridge Road. th Friday 10 February 2012 from 1600-1800 at Living Space, 1 Coral Street.

Public consultation meetings for the wider community will be held on: th Monday 16 January 2012 from 1900-2100 at the Oasis Centre, 75 Westminster Bridge Road. th Friday 10 February 2012 from 1900-2100 at Living Space, 1 Coral Street.

The new school, to be launched under the coalition governments flagship Free School policy, would be called Oasis Community School Waterloo. The proposed co-educational school would be for children aged 11-16 years, with four forms of entry, opening with an intake of 120 Year 7 pupils in 2013. The school will cover the National Curriculum and prepare students for national tests and examinations at all levels. The school will be fully inclusive, accepting children irrespective of faith or ability. Steve Chalke, Oasis Founder, said: Oasis goal is to create a world-class secondary educational environment which harnesses the richness of the surrounding environment for the benefit of local children. At present there is no one local secondary school serving this community, and as a result children are scattered across several boroughs for their education from the age of 11 years. The overall population projections for Lambeth indicate a shortage in the number of secondary school places in the coming years; with this proposal Oasis is planning ahead to meet the future needs of the Waterloo community. The Oasis Community School Waterloo will be Oasis first Free School, aimed at meeting the need for a small, local school in the SE1 area, rather than children having to travel long distances by public transport to their allocated secondary schools. Local children will be able to maintain the friendships they have made during primary school and be better supported through the primary to secondary school transition phase, which many find difficult. Oasis is hoping local parents and carers and the wider community will welcome the new school proposal and will be seeking signatures at the consultation events from those advocating the plans to support their application to the Department for Education. Local parents and carers may also sign up online through the website: http://www.oasiscommunityschool.org/.

A number of possible locations for the new secondary school are being considered, and Oasis will work closely with the Department for Education over the coming months to identify and secure a suitable site. The schools specialism is also to be confirmed, and the Trust is engaging with a diverse group of local partners including Coin Street Community Builders, The Old Vic Theatre, Waterloo Quarter BID and Morley College to determine possible foci for the schools specialist curriculum areas and help build a strong sense of pride for the whole community. Oasis Community Learning has a successful track record in delivering education, having established 14 academies nationwide. The Educational Trust aims to create and sustain a network of excellent learning communities where every child can realise their full potential. In Waterloo, Oasis sponsors Johanna Primary, Oasis Academy Waterloo which converted to an academy in September 2011, and the Oasis College of Higher Education on Westminster Bridge Road. Paul Rose, Oasis Development Director, said: We are very excited at the prospect of opening the first Oasis Free School in Waterloo, offering local children a small secondary school where they will be known by name, and where each one will have the opportunity to fulfil their potential in a safe and nurturing learning community. The proposed Free School will become an integral part of our community hub in Waterloo, contributing to the wider regeneration of the area, and complementing our other activities at Johanna Primary, St Thomas Hospital and our youth and community provision delivered from the Oasis Centre on Westminster Bridge Road.

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Editors notes: 1. Oasis Community Learning opened its first three academies in September 2007 in Enfield, Immingham and Grimsby, with six more Academies opening in September 2008: Oasis Academy John Williams and Oasis Academy Brightstowe (both in Bristol), and Oasis Academy MediaCityUK (Salford) and Oasis Academy Coulsdon (Croydon), as well as Oasis Academy Mayfield, and Oasis Academy Lords Hill in Southampton East and West respectively. A further two academies opened in September 2009: Oasis Academy Hadley (Enfield) and Oasis Academy Shirley Park (Croydon). Oasis Academy Oldham opened in September 2010. As of September 2011 Oasis Community Learning sponsors a total of fourteen academies with the opening of Oasis Academy Limeside and Johanna Primary School, Oasis Academy Waterloo. Oasis Community Learning is part of the family of Oasis charities. For more information about Oasis Community Learning go to: www.oasiscommunitylearning.org 2. Oasis Trust was established in 1985 and is now a group of charities working to deliver education, training, youth work, health care and housing in 10 countries around the world. 3. Lambeth Councils Report School Demand and Primary Expansion 12 December 2011 is the source of the school place planning projections. 4. For further information on the Oasis Community School Waterloo please contact: Lucia Glynn Tel. 020 7928 5814 or 07973 940779 lucia.glynn@oasisjohanna.org Debbie Cruse Tel. 020 7 921 4263 deborah.cruse@oasisuk.org 5. Follow the progress of the new school on Twitter: @OasisSchoolSE1
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