In the first of our new weekly look at Croydon's schools, head teacher Andy Crofts tells us why Quest Academy's "considerable improvement" leaves him feeling excited for the future... Tell us about the history of the school...
Quest Academy replaced Selsdon High School on September 1, 2010. The predecessor school had a controversial past with reports of poor behaviour and low results, finishing on only 23 per cent five A-Cs including English and Maths in its last year. When the Quest Academy opened in September, sponsored by Coloma Convent Girls' School, we immediately changed every structure and system in the school to affect maximum change in pupil outcomes in the shortest possible time. Describe the school's ethos...
The Academy's ethos is built around the motto "Learning changes lives" and our mantra is: "Every child, every day, no excuses" because we believe that regardless of their background, circumstances or the challenges they face within their live, we must ensure that all students achieve outstanding results. We see all students as leaders and we seek to develop independent and self-motivated individuals who exhibit good character, honesty and personal responsibility. What are the school's greatest recent achievements?
We have been delighted with the considerable improvement in examination results in the past two years, rising as they have from 52 per cent five A-C in 2009 to 80 per cent 5 A-C in 2011. The benchmark indicator has also doubled from 23 per cent 5 A-C with English and Maths to 46 pee cent in the same time period. The significance of this success was highlighted by OFSTED in June 2012, who said that the academy was making: "Rapidly accelerating progress" because of "an unrelenting focus on student's achievements under-pinned by rigorous tracking of their progress to ensure they meet their targets". They also agreed with us that "student's attitudes to learning are highly positive." What are your ambitions for the future of the school?
We believe Quest Academy has a vibrant and exciting future, not least because of the £17 million project to completely rebuild both the academy and the sports centre for the benefit of our students and the whole Selsdon community. When students spoke about their aspirations for the new building they said that they saw it "as a trophy to celebrate the last two years of change and success" - we certainly agree with that. Why should parents send their child to your school?
Quest has built its reputation on a traditional and rigorous approach to discipline and a focus on achieving academic excellence, both in the main academy and the newly opened sixth form centre, Quest 6. A visit to the academy during one of our 'academy at work' tours confirms the positive atmosphere and high standards that we set every day, and if parents believe that those are the right values for their child, we would be delighted to welcome them to the Quest Academy.
Address: The Quest Academy, 2 Farnborough Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 8HD
Established: September 2010
Pupils: 466
Principal: Andy Crofts
Last Ofsted rating: Good, 2012
