A secondary school in Folkestone has successfully retained its "outstanding" status following an Ofsted inspection in the run up to Christmas.

During a two-day visit in mid-December, the education watchdog found the Harvey Grammar to have a strong focus on pupils' literacy, with staff who are "experts in their subjects".

In their report, seen by KentOnline, the inspectors praised the selective boys' school for its "ambitious" curriculum and its "commitment to pupils regardless of their social background".

The grammar - which educates more than 1,000 children - was subject to an "ungraded inspection" which is carried out to ensure it remains outstanding.

This means an individual grading is not given to each area on which the establishment was assessed.

The final report following the inspection states: "Pupils are proud of their school with its rich and distinguished heritage.

"Pupils' attendance is high and persistent absenteeism is low.

"Staff are proud of the school’s commitment to pupils regardless of their social background. There is staunch support for equality and a deep appreciation of diversity.

"Pupils value the academic ethos supported by a well-organised programme of personal development, welfare and well-being."

In the latest set of exams, 89% of pupils at the Cheriton Road school achieved Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs.

Data for 2020, the latest available, shows that 90% of pupils leaving the sixth form at 18 went on to employment or further education.

Retention of the school's outstanding designation comes at a time when a number of others with a similar grade before the pandemic have seen their status downgraded.

"It's a very significant achievement to have retained that rating..."

Since 2012, those given the top possible ranking were legally exempt from further regular inspection unless there were specific concerns about the school.

This exemption was lifted in 2020, and in November the government announced that more than 80% of these schools that had received a full graded inspection in the previous year did not retain the outstanding grade.

The majority were judged to be good, while around a fifth were found to be requiring improvement (17%) or inadequate (4%).

Responding to the glowing report, head teacher Scott Norman said: "We're obviously delighted that Ofsted have judged that our school remains outstanding.

"It's a very significant achievement to have retained that rating and it could only have been achieved through the dedication and hard work of all in our school community, so I was very pleased that Ofsted recognised this in their report."