A WESTCLIFF school historically rated “inadequate” or “requires improvement” has been shortlisted as one of the best school’s in the country. 

Chase High School, in Prittlewell Chase, is in the running to be named as the “Secondary school of the year” at the Pearson National Teaching Awards, in the Making A Difference category. 

Before being rated “good” in March 2022, Chase High School had only ever been classified as “inadequate” or “requires improvement” by Ofsted.

Headteacher Jamie Foster said: “For the first time ever, Chase is oversubscribed and has a waiting list in all year groups.

“We are now a school of choice as a result of the transformations made and the support from our students, teachers, and parents.

READ MORE >> Police probe after man and woman suddenly die 'following music festival in Basildon'

“The community has real pride in the school badge and can feel a sense of belonging.

"It’s an incredible turnaround story, but our journey is far from over as we must continue to strive for excellence.

“I took great pleasure in being able to share the wonderful achievements of our students with the awards panel and to talk about the hard work and dedication of the school community which deserves a great school and the very best education we can provide.”

The school’s ever-improving status follows a major improvement drive, including the arrival of a new leadership team. They focused on standards and expectations in a bid to improve the school.

When inspected back in 2022, Ofsted noticed the major improvement that had been made in recent years. 

Pearson National Teaching Awards celebrate outstanding work taking place in schools across the country.

In announcing the shortlist, the Teaching Awards Trust team said: “This year was, once again, an excellent year for participation.

“The stories we have heard from schools and colleges across the UK have been simply inspirational and the quantity and standard of entries has been so high this year that our judges have had a tremendously difficult task in shortlisting finalists.”