Croydon Council today announced the Coloma Trust as its preferred sponsor for the proposed academy at Selsdon High School.

The school will be known as The Quest Academy.

A council spokeswoman said: “The council chose the Coloma Trust as its preferred sponsor because of its proven track record of running high achieving schools and because of its long standing commitment to the local community.

“Coloma Convent Girls’ School is one of the most successful schools in Croydon.

“In the last three Ofsted inspections, the school was judged outstanding.

“In 2008, 82 per cent of pupils at Coloma achieved 5 A*-C GCSEs, including English and Maths.

“The Trust also has a deep historical tie with the community, having provided education in Croydon for 140 years.”

The Quest Academy will work closely with Coloma School.

It will be co-educational and will not become a Catholic school.

It will welcome students of all faiths and none and there will be no selection or admittance criteria.

The school will continue to follow the National Curriculum.

Mrs Maureen Martin, will remain as headteacher at Coloma and will take over the role of executive head at the new academy.

She said: “Quest for us means the start of a new journey and that is what we hope this new school will become for children, parents, teachers and the local community.

“The Quest Academy will actively value and nurture parents’ interests in their children’s education. The Academy will be parents’ and children's school of choice because it will offer an excellent, broad, challenging and relevant vocational, academic and work-based curriculum and enrichment activities.

“The school will set and maintain expectations and behaviour in lessons and in the community. It will emphasise participation and teamwork and will value students’ diverse cultural heritage.”

Councillor Tim Pollard, cabinet member for Children, Young People and Learners, said: “We are thrilled to announce the Coloma Trust as our preferred sponsor.

“While Selsdon has recently made significant strides under the leadership of Carol-Anne Alcock, the school has consistently been one of the worst performing schools in Croydon.

“In 2008, only 22 per cent of pupils achieved 5 A*-C GCSE grades. These results have in turn made Selsdon one of the least popular schools in the borough.

“It’s the council’s ambition to make every school in Croydon a good school where parents are proud to send their children. By replacing Selsdon with The Quest Academy, we believe that every child will have the best possible chance of fulfilling his or her academic potential.”

The council will announce a period of consultation shortly asking for feedback from the local community on plans to close Selsdon High and replace it with The Quest Academy - Coloma Trust.

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