Waseley Hills High School, based in Rubery, in the West Midlands, has been praised in its latest Ofsted inspection report for improvements made to the curriculum and the support it provides to staff and students.

The school – which is part of the Central Region Schools Trust – was found to be ‘Good’ in all areas, following the inspection which took place on 4th and 5th February. Inspectors praised how the school has ‘worked hard’ to ensure the curriculum is improved, meaning that ‘each subject is both ambitious and well sequenced’.

As a result of this hard work, outcomes at the school are improving. The report highlights leaders’ ‘high expectations’ of students’ behaviour, and praises how students ‘benefit from strong relationships with both staff and their peers’.

Students at Waseley Hills are ‘courteous and respectful to others’ and ‘take pride in their work’. Waseley joined the Central Region Schools Trust in November 2021 as a Department for Education intervention project to improve the standard of provision at the school.

Prior to its most recent inspection, Waseley was graded at “Requires Improvement” for twenty out of the past twenty-three years of Ofsted inspections, making this latest "Good" in all areas inspection a major milestone in the school's upward trajectory.  Alongside joining the Central Region Schools Trust, Waseley was awarded a complete new build of the school building as part of the Department for Education’s school rebuilding programme.

This multi-million-pound project will see Waseley have an 8,493m square foot state of the art facility including completely new facilities that the community will have access to. The new leadership of the school, alongside the new facilities which open in September, gives the local community the educational setting and provision that it deserves.

The Ofsted report is a key milestone in the ambitious new future for Waseley Hills and recognises the hard work of the staff, students and community coming together to strive towards excellence.  

Key highlights from the inspection report include:  

  • The school ‘places a strong emphasis on reading’, and students who require help to read fluently ‘benefit from high-quality support’. Consequently, these students ‘quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident readers’. 
  • The needs of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are ‘identified accurately’, and teachers ‘adapt their teaching well’ to support individual students’ needs. This helps students with SEND ‘to make strong progress through the curriculum’. 
  • Students ‘enjoy an impressive variety of clubs and activities’, including residential visits, charity work, social action projects and school musical productions. These opportunities ‘allow them to explore and nurture their talents and interests while developing important life skills’. 
  • The school ‘places a strong emphasis’ on student leadership – for example, students ‘take pride’ in having contributed to the selection of the names for the school’s house system. 
  • ‘High-quality careers education and guidance’ supports students well and ‘helps them to think ambitiously about their futures’. 
  • Students at Waseley Hills’ sixth form ‘have a positive experience’ and ‘are well supported’. They are ‘involved in all aspects of the school and regularly mentor younger students’. The sixth-form students ‘are highly self-motivated and benefit from a wide variety of enrichment opportunities’. 
  • Staff know students well and ‘always have their best interests at heart’, with many students reportedly saying, ‘Staff here really care.’ 
  • Central Region Schools Trust ‘provides targeted support to raise standards and works effectively with school leaders’, and ‘governors and trustees hold leaders to account well’. 

Tom Preston, Principal at Waseley Hills High School, said: “We are incredibly proud of the progress our school has made, and this latest Ofsted report is a testament to the dedication, hard work and resilience of our entire school community.

“Our staff have worked tirelessly to drive improvements, ensuring every student receives the high-quality education they deserve. This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our parents and carers, who play a vital role in our students’ success.

“Their encouragement, alongside the commitment of our fantastic teachers and support staff, has helped create a thriving learning environment where all can flourish. Our commitment to continuous improvement is stronger than ever, and we will keep striving to provide the very best opportunities for every student, ensuring they are equipped for success both in school and beyond.”