Oasis Academy South Bank Primary Launches with Community Celebration

Yesterday, Oasis marked a major milestone with the official launch of Oasis Academy South Bank Primary - a transformative step in the academy’s mission to provide cradle-to-career education and strengthen communities across London.

Formerly known as Oasis Academy Johanna, the newly renamed primary school celebrated its next chapter with a vibrant community event attended by pupils, families, and the wider community. The launch featured joyful performances by pupils, guided tours for parents and carers, and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting led by our Founder, Rev. Steve Chalke.

Located just a stone’s throw from the Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ Oasis Academy South Bank Secondary, the primary school forms a central pillar of the Oasis Waterloo Hub - a 20-year community movement that includes two schools, a church, a community farm, youth services, and more.

Steve reflected on the renaming: “Johanna Primary School has served its local community for well over 100 years. It’s provided wonderful education and opportunity to thousands of children through that time.  When Johanna became part of Oasis, the charity I founded, it also created the opportunity for us to develop an outstanding secondary school, Oasis Academy South Bank. Johanna and South Bank have worked closely together over the last decade or more to create a continuity of education for local young people.”

“The decision to bring both schools together under the same name is simply a way of recognising the joined-up, wrap-around care both schools have been bringing to the children and families they serve together. But this step is far more than a renaming, it is a doubling down on our vision to bring cradle to career educational excellence to every young person in the local community."

“We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to flourish. Oasis Academy South Bank Primary will continue to empower young people with a truly inclusive and holistic education, building their academic talent and character, and supporting their wellbeing before they embark on their next steps.”

The new name reinforces the strong partnership between the primary and secondary academies and offers families a clear, consistent learning journey — from Little Rainbows Nursery through to Oasis South Bank Sixth Form. 

Paul Cornall, Principal of Oasis Academy South Bank Primary, shared his excitement about the future: “This is an incredibly exciting time. Our new name reflects not only who we are, but where we’re going - nurturing each child’s potential with purpose, inclusion, and ambition.”

Oasis Academy South Bank Primary prides itself on being a ‘village school in the heart of London’, committed to inclusive, relational, and high-quality education. The close collaboration between both schools includes initiatives such as peer-to-peer mentoring and joint participation in community enrichment programmes. 

This launch marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the Oasis family in Waterloo, building on over four decades of work to strengthen lives through education and community connection.

A massive thank you to the Projects team, the academy team and the comms team for making the launch of Oasis Academy South Bank Primary a truly memorable and meaningful milestone for the academy community.