A South Norwood school with a "large majority" of students from minority ethnic groups has been rated 'outstanding' by the government's schools watchdog Ofsted.

An Ofsted inspector Ofsted found that leaders at Harris Academy South Norwood created "a unified school where pupils on both the Upper and Lower Norwood campuses learn together."

"Pupils have a deep understanding of issues linked to equality, particularly in relation to sexuality," the inspector wrote in the report.

"Pupils report a culture that has a zero tolerance towards homophobia."

Students also said that bullying at the school was rare.

"Inspectors scrutinised available documents and this shows that there are only occasional instances of such behaviour," the inspector wrote.

"Pupils feel safe and well supported when they raise concerns with staff.

Those pupils who have displayed challenging behaviour in the past speak highly of the support they have received from staff."

Executive Principal Nick Soar was excited to hear the good news.

“The report highlights the outstanding work our academy does to keep children safe and to turn around the performance of a range of students from all abilities," he said.

“The report also affirms the actions we have taken over the past two years to make the amalgamation between the two sites work smoothly.

"Joining two schools together can be a messy business, but the unity of purpose and vision that Harris Academy South Norwood has means the students benefit from excellent teaching.

The October inspection was the first since 2010, when the school also received an 'outstanding' rating.

It was one student's comments that that summed up the views of many when they told inspectors: "Treating everyone equally is an important quality for life.

"It is part of being a decent human being."