Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #8 in Gloucestershire public Top 5% UK

Balcarras School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Dominic Burke

corporate_fareTHE BALCARRAS TRUST

location_onCheltenham, GL53 8QF

language Visit Website phone 1242515881

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,383

trending_up

Attainment 8

58.5

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GCSE Rank

#8 in Gloucestershire

#297 of 3,216 nationally

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Balcarras School is a Academy converter secondary school in Cheltenham, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.2×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Balcarras School is an academy converter in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE BALCARRAS TRUST. The school has approximately 1,429 pupils on roll, of whom 6% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 58.5, placing the school #8 in Gloucestershire and #297 of 3,216 nationally. 66.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 37.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 26 A-level subjects. 69.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 36.1% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.17 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

58.5

Grade 5+ E&M

66.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)37.9%

Entering EBacc47.90%

EBacc APS5.17

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.83

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

62.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47.90%

EBacc APS5.51

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.70

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

60.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc60%

EBacc APS5.39

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.68

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

62.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc59%

EBacc APS5.68

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc63%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.82

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

61.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc71%

EBacc APS5.65

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.33

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc67%

EBacc APS5.24

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships3%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.17

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

219

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*10.2%

Achieving A*–A36.1%

Achieving A*–B69.5%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate98.2%

A-level subjects offered26

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.17

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

212

Retention rate98.10%

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

172

Retention rate96.50%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

193

Retention rate99.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

04 March 2025

Inspection Report

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20 May 2014

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-03-04

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2014-05-20

Section 8 Inspection due to Parental Complaint EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2009-02-25

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.9%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.7%(10 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,429 pupils. During this period, there were 13 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.9%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,429	13	0.9%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,428	11	0.8%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,418	15	1.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,422	3	0.2%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,422	7	0.5%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,379	25	1.8%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,383	18	1.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,383	17	1.2%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,374	14	1.0%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,375	19	1.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,501	16	1.1%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,406	22	1.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,405	7	0.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,411	20	1.4%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,391	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,391	21	1.5%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,396	15	1.1%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,375	12	0.9%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,382	22	1.6%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,385	16	1.2%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,396	16	1.1%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,402	9	0.6%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,406	18	1.3%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,390	17	1.2%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,392	9	0.6%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,396	12	0.9%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 49 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 35 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 14 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 14 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 3 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

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Balcarras School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Gloucestershire

Pate's Grammar School

Sir Thomas Rich's School

Stroud High School

Marling School

The Crypt School

Denmark Road High School