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About our School

The Oaks Primary School and Nursery caters for girls and boys aged between 3 and 11 years. From Reception the school is organised into fourteen single-aged classes, two in each year group.

Our approach is child-centered and we provide a happy, nurturing and caring environment, where learners are encouraged to develop in all aspects. All children are challenged to achieve their very best and to become responsible, valuable members of the community. We aim to give all children the best possible start.

The curriculum of The Oaks includes activities which have been designed to promote and encourage the intellectual, personal, social, emotional and physical development of our pupils. The curriculum includes not just the formal programme of lessons, but all activities and features of the life of the school which contribute to our ethos and the wider community, such as the quality of relationships, the development of values or attitudes and the quality of learning experiences.

Our school is very well resourced. We have excellent ICT facilities, two large halls, a library and research centre, in addition to specialist learning facilities for Food Technology, Art/Ceramics and Design Technology. There is also an Inclusion base and studio. The school is surrounded by extensive grounds, including excellent outdoor facilities. The curriculum and children’s experiences are further enriched by carefully planned educational visits and by the many visitors to the school.

 

History of the school

The building in which The Oaks is located was originally constructed in 1958 and opened as Bishop Bell Infant and Junior Schools. A short while later Robert May Infant and Junior Schools were built in Furnace Green. The schools served the new neighbourhoods of Tilgate and Furnace Green in the ‘New Town’ of Crawley.
In the 1970s, the schools were adapted: Bishop Bell Schools became the new Middle School for children between 8 and 12 years in the area, while Robert May served as a First school for children between 5 and 8.

In 1997, Robert May and Bishop Bell schools underwent yet another change and a new school was opened on the Bishop Bell site. This combining both First & Middle School departments into one school, The Oaks was born!

The school developed over the coming years, and then changed its character once again in 2004. As schools in Crawley returned to the national model of Primary and Secondary schools, The Oaks became a Primary School for 4-11 year olds and our Nursery was opened to accommodate 3-4 year olds.

Now, as The Oaks continues to grow and change in the 21st century, we have seen lots of developments and additions to our school, including updated accommodation and excellent resources and ICT provision. Nevertheless, some of our history remains in our two school halls. Each hall is named after former Headteachers of the two Bishop Bell schools: Mrs Burton and Mr Oakley.

In September 2012, as a “good” school, The Oaks Primary School chose to convert to Academy status, along with other local schools, under the umbrella of TKAT (The Kemnal Academy Trust). The school has continued to develop and was rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted during their last inspection in June 2015.

Please contact the school office by E-mail or by giving us a call on 01293 527473 to arrange a viewing or ask any questions you may have.