A school has been downgraded from outstanding after its leadership was criticised for off-rolling pupils.

Holte School in Lozzells, Birmingham has been found to require improvement in latest new inspection report.

The report says: “This is a school that does many things very well indeed, but there are important areas where it needs to improve.

“A small number of pupils study away from the school. Leaders remove some of those in year 11 from the school’s roll. They should not do this. This is the reason that leadership requires improvement.”

Ofsted rates the school as requires improvement overall despite finding its quality of education and the behaviour of its pupils to be good and the personal development of pupils to be outstanding.

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Ofsted has vowed to crackdown on off-rolling which it defines as the removal of pupils from a school roll when this is done in the interests  of the school rather than the pupil.

The report on Holte School finds that: “Leaders do not follow government advice about how pupils who study away from the school, at alternative provision, should be registered.

“Leaders could not give inspectors a clear reason why they remove these pupils from the school roll in Year 11.

“There is no evidence that this practice benefits the pupils. It means that information the government publishes about the school is not accurate. Ofsted refers to this practice as ‘off-rolling’.

“It should not happen. However, these pupils are well cared for, achieve good examination results and move on to college courses when they leave. The alternative provision is successful in preparing them for life after school.”

The report says that most pupils attending alternative provision are currently removed from the school roll in January of year 11.

It adds: “This means that they are not included in information the government publishes about the school, for example about pupils’ achievement and post-16 destinations.

“This practice constitutes ‘off-rolling’, by Ofsted’s definition, because it is not done in the pupils’ best interests. It is counter to the government’s guidance about the registration of pupils attending alternative provision.”

Ofsted says leaders and governors should comply with government guidance about alternative provision and ensure that all decisions about pupils’ registration are taken in the best interests of the pupils.

The report praises the school for the quality of teaching.

It says that in almost all subjects, staff plan pupils’ learning well and that teaching helps pupils remember what they have been taught.

Inspectors also find that most teachers know their subjects well.

Their report praises the school for pupils’ achievements in English, history, geography and religious education but adds that science remains a concern.

Holte School has been approached for a comment.

Yesterday Tes revealed that an inspection report was triggered by concerns over potential off-rolling at a school run by the Inspiration Trust.

Inspectors questioned why pupils in alternative provision were taken off the roll of East Point Academy in Lowestoft in year 11 and said leaders could not show why this was in in their pupils best interests.

However the report did not state that off-rolling had taken place at the school.