Balcarras School A GSG School
- Balcarras School
East End Road
Charlton Kings
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL53 8QF - Head: Mr Dominic Burke
- T 01242 515881
- F 01242 250620
- E admin@balcarras.gloucs.sch.uk
- W www.balcarras.gloucs.sch.uk
- A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Gloucestershire
- Pupils: 1,387 ; sixth formers: 390 (205 girls, 185 boys)
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Open days: Monday 18th September - Thursday 21st September 2023
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
-
Ofsted:
- Latest Overall effectiveness Outstanding 1
- Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding 1
- 1 Full inspection 20th May 2014
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
The dedicated approach to all things pastoral is akin to a warm hug around the school. It’s in the DNA of the school, say parents. ‘Teachers know the pupils’ names and they are supportive and caring – you hear it in the way they talk to the pupils.’ Tremendous results for a non-selective intake, all the more impressive when you factor in value-added scores. But it’s not a case of push, push, push. Rare is the pupil who doesn’t attend clubs. Badminton players rock up at 7.45am to practise in all weathers - the coach used to be on the site team, and got the team to the national finals. But while sporty clubs rule the roost, debating, maths club…
What the school says...
We are proud of the enjoyment and excitement pupils feel about their learning and their life in school. The sixth form continues to be supremely successful.
Do you know this school?
The schools we choose, and what we say about them, are founded on parents’ views. If you know this school, please share your views with us.
Please login to post a comment.
What The Good Schools Guide says
Headteacher
Since 2016, Dominic Burke MA PGCE. A Yorkshireman, he was born in Wakefield and grew up in Morley, attending a Catholic primary school then comp. Didn’t stray far for uni - York, Sheffield and Leeds - though moved south to Evesham for his first history teaching post, thence to Balcarras in 2007. Internal promotions are common here, as his steady climb to the top attests. Jokes that he’s become ‘institutionalised’. Teaching in the blood – both his parents were SEN teachers, although he fleetingly considered publishing and journalism (and still enjoys penning the odd article for the school magazine).
Gentle but plain-speaking, he is also the fun police, though not in the usual sense. ‘The watchword must be enjoyment,’ he tells his senior leadership team, ‘school must have a sense of...
Subscribe now for instant access to read The Good Schools Guide review.
Already subscribed? Login here.
Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
Balcarras welcomes students with a wide range of abilities and learning needs. Pupils with SEND are admitted on the same basis as all other children and are encouraged to take part in the full range of activities on offer. We do our best to ensure support is given to children whose learning and progress might be a cause for concern. Physically disabled pupils have easy access around school. Close liaison with our feeder schools enables us to respond to SEND right from the start. The Individual Learning Department (ILD) co-ordinates provision, maintaining a register of pupils who have learning/physical/emotional/sensory/medical needs that impact on learning. Subject staff are provided with a ‘Pupil Passport’ with each child’s particular needs and recommended support strategies. There is a rigorous process for exam access arrangements. The department is housed in a smart building which provides flexible accommodation and excellent resources. Pupils may be withdrawn from some lessons for work in small groups. Individual tailored support is provided by the ILD which comprises two specialist teachers, three HLTAs and a large team of TAs. There is a strong focus on inclusive practice through collaboration with the pastoral team and external agencies. Young people and their parents/carers are involved in decisions about their support and, with high aspirations, prepare effectively for continuing education and a successful adult life.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | Y |
| Aspergers | Y |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | Y |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | Y |
| Dysgraphia | Y |
| Dyslexia | Y |
| Dyspraxia | Y |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | Y |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | Y |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | Y |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | Y |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | Y |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | Y |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | Y |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | Y |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment | Y |
Interpreting catchment maps
The maps show in colour where the pupils at a school came from*. Red = most pupils to Blue = fewest.
Where the map is not coloured we have no record in the previous three years of any pupils being admitted from that location based on the options chosen.
For help and explanation of our catchment maps see: Catchment maps explained
Further reading
If there are more applicants to a school than it has places for, who gets in is determined by which applicants best fulfil the admissions criteria.
Admissions criteria are often complicated, and may change from year to year. The best source of information is usually the relevant local authority website, but once you have set your sights on a school it is a good idea to ask them how they see things panning out for the year that you are interested in.
Many schools admit children based on distance from the school or a fixed catchment area. For such schools, the cut-off distance will vary from year to year, especially if the school give priority to siblings, and the pattern will be of a central core with outliers (who will mostly be siblings). Schools that admit on the basis of academic or religious selection will have a much more scattered pattern.
*The coloured areas outlined in black are Census Output Areas. These are made up of a group of neighbouring postcodes, which accounts for their odd shapes. These provide an indication, but not a precise map, of the school’s catchment: always refer to local authority and school websites for precise information.
The 'hotter' the colour the more children have been admitted.
Children get into the school from here:
regularly
most years
quite often
infrequently
sometimes, but not in this year
The Good Schools Guide newsletter
Educational insight in your inbox. Sign up for our popular newsletters.