The Sele School

Inspection of The Sele School Welwyn Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 2DG

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is Christopher Quach. This school is a single academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Helliwell. 7 and 8 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming, nurturing and inclusive place where pupils feel valued and happy. The school has high expectations for all pupils and helps them to secure the important skills and knowledge they need to succeed. As a result, pupils’ achievement is improving in many areas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their lessons and speak fondly about the help they receive. Increasingly, staff work together to ensure that the curriculum is taught consistently so that all pupils have similar experiences. Pupils have noticed this improvement and speak positively about their learning experience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and are respectful of their peers. Pupils understand that not everyone is the same and celebrate difference. They have strong, trusting relationships with teachers and are confident talking to them if they need help. Staff and pupils take pride in a sense of community where everyone is equal and valued.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to stay safe and well and how to prepare for their next steps. This is an important part of school life and helps pupils to grow in independence. The school has effective pastoral systems that support pupils with different needs, circumstances and backgrounds.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The curriculum has been thoughtfully constructed to ensure that pupils receive an education that supports their needs. The school has broadened its subject offer so that pupils are well prepared for their next steps. For example, the school has now added French to the curriculum to give pupils greater choice to learn a language. This also gives pupils the opportunity to study subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate. This means they are better prepared for a range of future studies and/or employment.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has made positive strides to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met, particularly pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum. Most learn well due to appropriate adaptations and support.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers typically deliver the intended curriculum well. Teachers carefully check on pupils’ learning, using this information to ensure that gaps in knowledge are quickly addressed. They make adaptations to support pupils’ learning with a sharp focus on ensuring that pupils have learned the key subject knowledge well before progressing. However, sometimes teachers do not recognise when pupils are ready to move on to more complex learning. This means that some pupils do not progress through the curriculum as quickly as they could and find some work too easy.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school quickly identifies and supports pupils who struggle with reading. Interventions and reading programmes help pupils to gain quickly the knowledge and skills they need to become confident readers. The school’s focus on early identification also helps pupils with 7 and 8 May 2025

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SEND to get help as soon as they need it. Extra help with reading is timely and well considered.

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In classrooms, and around the school, pupils behave well. This supports pupils to learn well in calm and orderly classrooms. However, high levels of absence for some pupils mean that these pupils often miss out on important learning, which means they do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders have made some helpful changes to encourage high attendance and challenge absence.

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The wider school offer is designed to broaden pupils’ horizons and enhance their learning. Pupils across all year groups speak highly of the ‘electives’ offer at the school. Here they can participate in a range of activities, developing skills beyond the realms of the curriculum. Pupils feel valued, safe and secure at this school. They are confident, friendly and polite.

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The sixth form offers individualised support for students and curriculum choices to support their next steps. As a result, students move quickly and confidently through their course of study. They are well supported to succeed. Staff provide a useful steer to students as they plan their next steps in education and employment. Students are happy here. They care about their school and work with younger pupils to help and support with various activities, such as reading and mentoring.

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Staff have confidence in the leadership at the school. Staff well-being is supported, and their workload is manageable. The trust has actively supported improvements with the help of external advice and guidance. However, the board of trustees has a number of vacancies, meaning that there are gaps in the expertise needed to further improve strategic planning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Persistent absence at the school is high. As a result, some pupils miss out on learning. This impacts negatively on their achievement. The school should ensure that its strategies to reduce persistent absence are effective.  Teachers do not consistently teach pertinent content as soon as pupils are ready to grasp this. As a result, some pupils do not move on to learning more complex knowledge as quickly as they could. This limits their progress through the curriculum. The school should ensure that teachers ensure that pupils move on to learning new, more complex knowledge as soon as they are ready to do so.  There are currently some vacant positions on the board of trustees. This limits the expertise and capacity of the board of trustees to set the strategic direction of the 7 and 8 May 2025

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school and check on its performance. The trust should ensure that the board of trustees has the range of expertise necessary to fulfil its role highly effectively.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 7 and 8 May 2025

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form

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 October 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The Sele School operates as a single academy trust.  The school currently uses three registered alternative provisions.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form 7 and 8 May 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history, drama and languages. For each deep dive, inspectors: discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also visited a range of lessons in the sixth form.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the trust and trustees.  Inspectors held meetings with a range of school leaders, including those who are responsible for behaviour, safeguarding and pupils with SEND.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times around school.

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 Inspectors met with groups of pupils to discuss their lessons, behaviour, personal development and their safety.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. ◼ Inspectors scrutinised a range of records relating to behaviour and attendance. ◼ The lead inspector considered the responses and free-text responses received during the inspection to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Louise Cooper, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Barr Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 May 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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