Balcarras School

Balcarras School was inspected in March 2025 and was judged outstanding in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. This was its first routine section 5 inspection; it had previously been judged outstanding before becoming an academy, and under current arrangements no overall effectiveness grade is awarded. The school is part of The Balcarras Trust, with the CEO also serving as headteacher. Pupils and students make exceptional progress through a highly ambitious, broad and well-designed curriculum. They are courteous, respectful and engaged, and the school provides exemplary pastoral care. Bullying and unkind behaviour are unusual and promptly managed, and pupils take part enthusiastically in a wide range of clubs, community activities and leadership roles. Teachers check understanding thoroughly, adapt learning effectively for pupils with SEND, and provide strong reading and careers support. No substantive concerns were identified in the report. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, the sixth form offers a broad range of A-level subjects and enrichment, and the school works extensively with the wider education community through its teaching and mathematics hubs.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious, broad and well-designed curriculum
• Exceptional pupil and student progress
• Courteous, respectful and engaged pupils
• Exemplary pastoral care and support for families
• Rare bullying concerns managed promptly
• Rich extracurricular, community and leadership opportunities
• Teachers check understanding thoroughly and address misconceptions quickly
• Effective reading assessment and targeted support
• Strong SEND identification and lesson adaptation
• Well-integrated personal development and careers education
• Broad sixth-form A-level offer and strong enrichment
• Effective safeguarding arrangements and positive safeguarding culture
• Extensive work with the wider education community through teaching and mathematics hubs

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 Balcarras School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 9.8% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Balcarras School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Balcarras School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.0% 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, 6.1% of pupils at Balcarras School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 2024–25 Balcarras School received £8,576 and spent £8,758 for each of its 1,431 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £219,000 (£153 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of The Balcarras Trust, income was £8,226 and spending £8,563 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Cheltenham · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

Balcarras School is part of The Balcarras Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• The High School Leckhampton Cheltenham
• Winchcombe School Cheltenham

What is Balcarras School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Balcarras School is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Balcarras School last inspected by Ofsted?

Balcarras School was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Balcarras School have?

Balcarras School has 1,427 pupils on roll.

What age range does Balcarras School cover?

Balcarras School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Balcarras School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 62.1, and 80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Balcarras School?

Balcarras School is at East End Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 8QF.