OFSTED
12 May 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Needs attention
Curriculum & teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Needs attention
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
28 November 2023
Graded inspection
Requires improvement
Published
24 March 2024
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Foundation school
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Cheshire West and Chester
Trust
Blacon High School Trust
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
651
651 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
302
46.4% of pupils
Male pupils
349
53.6% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
23.7 pts
above England
School
48.5%
Cheshire West and Chester
18.7%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
12.9 pts
below England
School
7.4%
Cheshire West and Chester
7.9%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
3.8 pts
above England
School
4.8%
Cheshire West and Chester
1.6%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
89.1%
580
Any other White background
5.1%
33
African
1.8%
12
Any other Mixed background
0.8%
5
Any other ethnic group
0.6%
4
White and Black Caribbean
0.6%
4
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
31.0%
202 of
651 pupils
10.2 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
10.1 pts
above
England
6.0%
0.1 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
33.2
6.0 pts
below England
Latest published: -0.63 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
14.64%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
8.42 pts
higher than
England
School
14.64%
Cheshire West and Chester
6.16%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
43.17%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
27.35 pts
higher than
England
School
43.17%
Cheshire West and Chester
15.25%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
8.33%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
6.53 pts
higher than
England
School
8.33%
Cheshire West and Chester
1.74%
North West
1.75%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
86.8%
5.5 pts
below England
Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College
86.8%
Cheshire West and Chester
88.2%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.