Selly Oak Trust School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 November 2022

Pupils enjoy coming to Selly Oak Trust School. They feel happy and safe. They benefit from positive and productive relationships with staff and with their peers. Pupils feel that they are part of a team that makes up the school community. They talk about staff and pupils working together for the benefit of everyone. Pupils believe that they attend an 'accepting' school. They feel included, and engage with views that are different from their own in a thoughtful manner. Bullying is rare and pupils are confident that staff and other pupils would help them to resolve any concerns that may arise. Opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests are of exceptional quality. Pupils enjoy rich experiences in a coherently planned way. Pupils participate in a range of clubs, including art, gardening and various sports. Pupils benefit from a well-designed curriculum, many work-related experiences and high- quality careers education. As a result, they have high aspirations of what they can achieve in adult life. All Year 11 pupils move on to further education and most stay at the school's excellent sixth-form provision. Many young people move into paid employment after they have left the school.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils do not attend regularly. Staff do not always ensure that pupils catch up with what they have missed through absence. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Leaders should strengthen their work with pupils, families and other agencies to improve pupils' attendance and ensure that staff help pupils to catch up when they return to school.
• Some staff do not use the most appropriate resources or promote the use of relevant academic language to help pupils to learn. This means that some pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they might. Leaders should ensure that staff use the most effective pedagogical approaches to help pupils understand abstract concepts and use academic language to help pupils to learn.
• Leaders' plans for MFL are still at an early stage of implementation. Pupils do not learn as well in MFL as they do in other subjects. Leaders should take further action to ensure that appropriate provision in MFL is as well embedded as it is in other subjects.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)