Balshaw's Ofsted: Once outstanding secondary school rated good but says there's more to school than Ofsted

Balshaw's Church of England High School on Church Road was visited by the educational watchbody on February 2 and 3 and rated ‘Good’ for all categories.

The school had been rated ‘Outstanding’ in its last full report in 2013, following a string of ‘Good’ ratings since 2001.

What did Ofsted say was particularly good about Balshaw's?

The report begins: “Pupils are happy at Balshaw’s High School. They told inspectors that they are proud to attend their school. They understand the importance of respecting differences between people. They are friendly, tolerant and polite.”

Pupils are also said to behave and achieve well, they “benefit from the opportunities that leaders provide for their wider development”, and the majority “progress to appropriate work, education or training” thanks to the school’s “comprehensive” careers programme.

Regarding leaders, they “are ambitious for all pupils”, including SEND; they “prioritise reading”; they deal “effectively” with any incidents of bullying; and “following the pandemic, leaders have secured ongoing improvements to pupils’ rates of attendance.”

Inspectors commented: “Leaders and governors share a clear vison for the quality of education. In the recent past, they have implemented a number of improvements to ensure that they realise this vision.”

The curriculum for key stage 3 is described as “broad and ambitious”, staff across the school are well trained in their subjects and “subject leaders have thoughtfully considered the essential knowledge that they want pupils to gain.”

What does Balshaw's need to improve on?

Inspectors wrote: “For a small number of pupils in key stage 4, the curriculum does not allow the study of a combination of subjects which matches their interests and aspirations. Leaders should fully implement their plans to amend the curriculum so that future cohorts have access to the breadth of qualifications that more fully meets their needs.”

Ofsted also said: “A small number of parents do not feel that school leaders and governors engage with them effectively in order to help them understand decisions and approaches to change. For a small number of pupils, this hinders how well leaders work with parents to support achievement and well-being.”

What does Balshaw's say about their rating?

Headteacher Steve Haycocks commented: "We are delighted that our most recent Ofsted report reflects the high standards of education and care that we continually strive to provide to our students and their families. Students are rightly proud to attend the school whose leaders are ambitious for all pupils and where there are high standards for academic achievement and behaviour. As well as the emphasis the report places on these aspects of Balshaw's, they also talk about the opportunities for students' wider development. For Balshaw's staff and governors, it is this development of the whole student that is most important. Our aim is to develop young men and women of faith or no faith who will go beyond Balshaw's and reflect Christian values in their lives with the aim of making our world a better place to be.

"Ofsted rightly reflects this, but as I have said at our open evening every year for the 9 years that I have been headteacher at Balshaw's: results and an Ofsted report are not the reasons you choose a school for your child - they are only part of a bigger picture about the ethos, culture and values of a school. This is one of the reasons that, in the light of the sad death of Ruth Perry and others, that there are calls for serious reform of the system of inspection. I am deeply proud of the dedicated team of professionals, both teachers and support staff, who are passionate about educating and supporting our students in the widest sense possible. I am also deeply grateful to the parents, caregivers and wider Balshavian community who are so supportive in their commitment to the school."