Selston High School gets its first 'good' rating from Ofsted

Selston High School, which became an academy in 2016, was praised by inspectors for its strong leadership and decline in exclusions.

In Ofsted’s newly published report, the school, which has 796 pupils, has been rated good following the two-day inspection.

Praising the attitudes of the pupils within the school, the report said: “Pupils treat others from different cultures, religions or social backgrounds with respect.

“Incidents of racism or homophobic abuse are rare.

Ofsted also noted that “pupils are polite and courteous to each other”.

The report said: “Mutual respect between pupils and staff is clearly evident.”

Regarding the management and leadership of the school, the report states: “Leaders have raised the profile of disadvantaged pupils significantly.

“Teachers prioritise the needs of these pupils when planning learning.”

Paul Halcro, headteacher, was complemented for providing “stable senior leadership” and high staff morale since he took up his position in September 2017.

Mr Halcro said: “I am delighted Ofsted has recognised all the excellent work being delivered here at Selston High School, and that this inspection has confirmed that our pupils, staff and leadership are all working hard to create a positive and thriving learning environment.

“The report is testament to the commitment and passion shown by our whole school community.”

“We will be working hard to continue to build on the successful outcomes already achieved to date.”

To improve the school further, and reach “outstanding” status, the report says teachers must “set the most able pupils work that is sufficiently challenging”, and “have consistently high expectations of pupils’ accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar”.

Pupils with special educational needs must also be provided with “effective” support, so that these pupils’ progress continues to improve in the future.