The Academy, Selsey

The Academy, Selsey is a smaller-than-average secondary school within The Kemnal Academies Trust. Inspectors found it performing well across the key areas, with effective safeguarding and a caring, inclusive culture. Pupils are happy, feel safe and are increasingly confident learners; behaviour and teaching have improved, and outcomes are rising after previous GCSE underperformance. The school's strengths include knowing pupils well, particularly those with SEND, strong pastoral support, a broad and well-ordered curriculum, a clear focus on reading and literacy, improved behaviour processes, strong careers provision and a wide range of enrichment opportunities. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and leaders have made changes with support from the trust. There are still areas to improve. A significant minority of pupils do not attend regularly enough, and teaching does not consistently ensure pupils recall and apply prior knowledge or receive effective feedback, which can leave gaps. The proportion of pupils choosing the English Baccalaureate remains low, and some pupils have too few opportunities to explore protected characteristics and fundamental British values. Leaders have plans and strategies in place, but rapid improvement is needed, especially on attendance.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and are increasingly confident learners
• A caring community where pupils are well known and well supported
• Strong pastoral support and positive parental views
• Pupils with SEND are particularly well known and supported, and achieve well
• A broad, well-ordered curriculum with a wide range of GCSE subjects
• Reading and literacy are prioritised, with effective targeted support
• New behaviour processes have improved school culture; behaviour is calm and respectful
• Strong careers provision and a wide range of enrichment, clubs and trips
• Pupils feel their voices are heard through the school council and house events
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• A significant minority of pupils do not attend school regularly enough
• Pupils are not always given opportunities to recall and apply prior knowledge to new learning
• Feedback is not used consistently effectively, leaving some pupils with knowledge gaps
• The deepening of pupils' knowledge and skills is inconsistent across the curriculum
• The proportion of pupils choosing the English Baccalaureate suite remains low
• Some pupils have too few opportunities to explore protected characteristics and fundamental British values
• Previous GCSE outcomes were not good enough, although they are now improving

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Academy, Selsey attended 88.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 12.6% of pupils at The Academy, Selsey were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Academy, Selsey had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.6% of pupils at The Academy, Selsey were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Academy, Selsey received £8,359 and spent £8,404 for each of its 501 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £225,000 (£449 per pupil).

Across all 45 schools of The Kemnal Academies Trust, income was £8,501 and spending £8,452 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Chichester · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

The Academy, Selsey is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs 45 schools. The nearest others:

• Seal Primary Academy Selsey
• Chichester High School Chichester
• Portfield Primary Academy West Sussex
• Tangmere Primary Academy Chichester
• Front Lawn Primary Academy Havant
• Havant Academy Havant
• Miltoncross Academy Portsmouth
• Bridgemary School Gosport
• The Bewbush Academy Crawley
• Seymour Primary School Crawley

What is The Academy, Selsey's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Academy, Selsey is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was The Academy, Selsey last inspected by Ofsted?

The Academy, Selsey was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does The Academy, Selsey have?

The Academy, Selsey has 523 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Academy, Selsey cover?

The Academy, Selsey for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Academy, Selsey's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.3, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Academy, Selsey?

The Academy, Selsey is at School Lane, Selsey, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 9EH.