Oaklands School

About Oaklands School

Every single parent who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey for Oaklands School said they would recommend it to other parents. That’s a 100% recommend rate from 47 respondents, which is an unusually strong signal. The survey, covering September 2024 to September 2025, also shows that 100% of parents agreed their child is happy at the school, with 79% strongly agreeing. A similar pattern runs through every question: 97% agreed their child feels safe, 98% agreed the school has high expectations, and 100% agreed their child does well. The school is clearly popular with its families, though it’s worth noting that oversubscription data isn’t available here, so we can’t say how hard it is to get a place. Oaklands is a mixed, non-religious state secondary in Tower Hamlets, with a sixth form and 880 pupils. Just over 41% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average.

Academically, the picture is more mixed. Oaklands holds an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, confirmed in its most recent ungraded inspection in February 2025, where inspectors judged that standards were maintained. Its sixth form provision and leadership and management are also rated Outstanding. However, the school’s Progress 8 score for 2023/24 is -1.43, which is well below average and ranks it 17th out of 17 secondary schools in Tower Hamlets. For context, the local authority average Progress 8 score is 0.09. Attainment 8 sits at 4.2, and no pupils entered the EBacc or achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths. The school’s performance in English and maths is notably low, with Progress 8 scores of -2.22 and -0.93 respectively. This is a school where Ofsted rates the experience highly, but the headline exam results lag significantly behind other schools in the borough.

Oaklands offers a strong range of facilities, including a swimming pool, sports hall, playing fields, science labs, art studios, music rooms, and a sixth form centre. There’s a chapel on site, and the school runs clubs covering orchestra, drama, coding, debate, film club, and Young Enterprise. Sports include rowing, rugby, gymnastics, and martial arts, among others. The school has dedicated SEND provisions for moderate and severe learning difficulties, as well as social, emotional and mental health needs, and every parent who responded to the survey agreed that SEND children get the support they need. This is a school that clearly works well for its current families, particularly those who value a supportive, well-regarded environment. But for parents focused on academic outcomes, the data suggests it may not be the strongest option in Tower Hamlets, especially when compared with nearby Outstanding schools like Swanlea School.

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