Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College

Blacon High School, a smaller-than-average specialist sports college in a highly deprived area, was inspected in May 2026 under the current framework. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils are safe and happy, behaviour has improved and is calm, and the personal development and wellbeing offer is a clear strength, with a wide range of enrichment, leadership, careers and community experiences. However, the school is not yet achieving the expected standard in several core areas. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance all require attention. Outcomes at the end of key stage 4 are low over time, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and attendance remains well below average, although leaders' work is producing gradual improvement. Leaders understand the school's weaknesses and are realistic and reflective, with effective governance and positive staff relationships, but their improvement actions are often at an early stage and have not been quick or effective enough. Teaching is inconsistent, checks on learning are sometimes weak, and adaptations for pupils with SEND do not consistently remove barriers. Writing, spelling and handwriting are particular areas of concern. The next steps focus on making SEND adaptations effective, closing writing and spelling gaps, embedding teaching improvements, reducing absence, and dealing with underperforming provision faster.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe and happy.
• Pupils respect each other and behave well; low-level disruption is rare.
• Leaders have established a calm culture with clear routines and high expectations.
• The personal development and wellbeing programme is broad, well taught and responsive to local risks.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities, trips, sports, music, drama and leadership opportunities.
• Careers guidance starts in Year 7 and helps pupils secure education, employment or training places.
• Leaders identify and support pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs effectively.
• Governors bring expertise, receive appropriate training and provide effective challenge and support.
• Leaders value staff wellbeing and provide professional development linked to school priorities.
• Leaders work constructively with parents, carers and the wider community.
• Leaders are reflective, seek external audits and learn from successful schools.
• Alternative provision is commissioned appropriately and pupils remain part of the school community.

Areas for Improvement

• Many pupils, including those with SEND, do not achieve as well as they should, with low outcomes at the end of key stage 4.
• Pupils' writing, spelling and handwriting are variable, especially for pupils with SEND, and improvement work is at an early stage.
• Pupils do not gain the skills and knowledge needed to be well prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training.
• Learning across the curriculum is uneven, and actions to raise standards in underperforming areas are in their infancy.
• Teaching is inconsistent, and some teachers do not check learning well enough to adapt their teaching.
• Some pupils with SEND do not receive appropriate adaptations, so they cannot access the curriculum as successfully as their peers.
• Leaders' strategies to reduce barriers to learning and communication are not effective for some pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils' additional funding strategies are at an early stage and are not yet showing impact.
• Attendance is below average for all groups, and pupils miss learning as a result.
• Persistent absence is well above average.
• Classroom routines designed to extend pupils' thinking are not consistently embedded.
• Leaders' actions to improve provision have been too slow and improvements remain in the early stages.
• Improvements to teaching and checking what pupils know and remember are not embedded across all subjects.
• Destinations after 16 are below national averages, with many pupils not well prepared for their next steps.
• Some aspects of provision fall below the expected standard and are not dealt with quickly enough.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College attended 85.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 43.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 9.9% of pupils at Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College had 13.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 24.9% of pupils at Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College received £11,043 and spent £11,056 for each of its 654 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £773,000 (-£1,182 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Chester · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

What is Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College last inspected by Ofsted?

Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College have?

Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College has 651 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College cover?

Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 30.3, and 20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College?

Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College is at Melbourne Road, Blacon, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 5JH.