Students feel proud to belong to an "outstanding" secondary school where they achieve highly.

Seaford Head School was given the highest Ofsted rating following a visit from the education watchdog in November.

Inspectors praised the school for the “exemplary” behaviour of its pupils, the “broad and ambitious” curriculum, the quality of teaching and the way in which children with special educational needs are supported.

They described the establishment as a “harmonious” community.

The school, in Arundel Road and Steyne Road, was also rated outstanding in its previous inspection in 2017.

The new report said: “The school sets high standards for work and conduct.

“Staff make sure that everyone follows these. The school’s excellent pastoral team ensure that pupils are kept safe. Any incidents of bullying are picked up quickly.

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“All this means that pupils can concentrate on their learning.

“The school benefits from very strong governance and dedicated leadership. It evaluates what works well and identifies what needs to be improved or refined.

“This is evident in the precise actions taken to ensure all pupils achieve highly and are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

“Consequently, results in public examinations are very strong, at key stage 4 and in the sixth form. The school prioritises the education and support for pupils with SEND and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure they achieve exceptionally well.”

An “extremely high proportion” of pupils at the school stay on in education, employment or training after the age of 16 and inspectors said an “impressive” number of sixth form students secure places in the “most prestigious” universities.

Inspectors lauded the school’s teachers for their “meticulous” planning of lessons.

“It draws on the latest research to help staff identify what pupils need to achieve highly,” the report said.

“Topics are taught logically so each unit builds on earlier learning.

“Teachers make sure that pupils can remember key elements that they will need later. For instance, in languages, Year 7 pupils become fluent in the verbs that are used to form tenses in Year 9. In mathematics, Year 8 pupils learn basic techniques that come back in complex forms in Year 11.

“Teachers use their considerable subject expertise to check how much pupils have remembered and understood of each topic. They adapt their teaching accordingly. Pupils who need more support get a variety of useful resources that they can utilise.”