Blacon High School Review 2026: A mixed 11-16 secondary in Blacon, Chester

On Melbourne Road in Blacon, this 11-16 secondary has expanded with an extension that opened in 2021, a practical signal of a school that has been growing and reorganising to meet demand. Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College is a state secondary school for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 in Chester, Cheshire, with a published capacity of 750.

The most recent Ofsted inspection rated the school Requires Improvement, with Behaviour and Attitudes and Personal Development graded Good.

Expect a school that puts routines, support, and wider participation up front: a two-week timetable, structured pastoral roles by year group, and clear systems around uniform and phones.

A mobile-phone rule tells you a lot about a school’s priorities. Here, mobile phones are not allowed in the building, and Key Stage 3 students hand phones in during morning registration and get them back later in the day. For families, that points to a culture that is trying to keep attention on learning and reduce the everyday friction that phones can bring.

Routines and behaviour

Classrooms are described as calm, with behaviour managed through clear processes that staff and students recognise. That matters most for children who learn best in ordered spaces, where the expectations are consistent between subjects rather than dependent on who is teaching. There is also an honest thread running through the school’s recent story: behaviour has strengthened, but rebuilding confidence in outcomes takes longer.

A school built around inclusion

Blacon has high numbers of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the structure reflects that reality. Alongside mainstream groupings, the school sets aside smaller specialist groupings, including a Sanctuary group and a Curriculum Plus group, aimed at some of its most vulnerable students.

The tone is one of support without lowering the bar. Staff are expected to adapt teaching, and there is a deliberate attempt to keep students accessing the same broad curriculum, rather than being quietly sidelined.

GCSE results

Ranked 3439th in England and 10th in Chester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Blacon sits below England average on this measure, and the numbers explain why the school is so focused on tightening curriculum delivery.

Progress 8 is -0.63, indicating students make below-average progress from their starting points across eight subjects. The Attainment 8 score is 37.2. On English Baccalaureate measures, 4.7% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above in the EBacc, and the average EBacc APS score is 2.97.

It is important to read these figures as a whole rather than as isolated headlines. A later monitoring visit described real work going into curriculum and teaching, but with published outcomes not yet matching those improvements. For parents, that is the key question to explore: not whether the school recognises the gap, but how securely the new approach is being delivered from classroom to classroom, especially in Key Stage 4.

If you are comparing several secondaries in Chester, the FindMySchool local results view is useful for putting Blacon’s GCSE indicators alongside nearby options, without relying on vague impressions.

A concrete curriculum decision sets the tone: Blacon runs a three-year Key Stage 3 and a two-year Key Stage 4, and it states that it does not enter students early for final examinations. That matters for families who want learning to build steadily, rather than accelerating into exam mode too soon.

The curriculum itself is broad at Key Stage 3, with time allocated across English, maths, science, languages, humanities, technology subjects, arts, and physical education, alongside personal, social and health education. At Key Stage 4, all students study English, mathematics, religious education, science, core PE and PSHE, then choose four options. The options list is wide enough to suit different strengths, including routes such as computer science, iMedia, enterprise and marketing, media studies, performing arts, dance, graphics, product design, food technology, health and social care, and child development.

The challenge has been consistency. The school has been working to sharpen how well staff check what students remember and understand before moving on, and to improve questioning and feedback so misconceptions are picked up earlier. There is also a clear emphasis on reading, including phonics training for key staff and more planned opportunities for older students to read during the school day.

With no sixth form, the story at 16 matters more than it does in an 11-18 school. Students will need to make a clear choice after Year 11, usually between A-level routes at local sixth forms and vocational or technical courses at further education colleges, with apprenticeships also part of the picture.

Careers guidance and personal development are positioned as a strength, with students receiving information about different post-16 routes. The school also uses alternative provision for a small number of students, which will matter to families weighing how flexible and personalised the school can be when a mainstream timetable is not the right fit.

An Open Week is held during September each year, which suits families who want to see the school early, before the Year 6 autumn becomes deadline-driven.

Routes and criteria

Admissions are controlled through Cheshire West and Chester’s coordinated process. The school is non-selective. The application deadline is 31 October in the year before entry.

Demand is real rather than theoretical. Recent figures show 145 applications for 118 offers, which is about 1.23 applications per place. That level of competition is not extreme, but it does mean families should treat it as a school you apply for thoughtfully rather than assume.

If you are shortlisting across the area, FindMySchoolMap Search helps you sense-check practicalities, especially travel time from your address and which other realistic options sit nearby.

Timeline and practicalities

For families moving in-year, the process runs through the local authority, then the school works with you around availability of places in the relevant year group. Transition is taken seriously, with links to partner primary schools and planned activities that give Year 6 pupils a clearer picture of what secondary learning feels like before September arrives.

The pastoral structure is clearly mapped. Each year group has a named Progress Leader, with learning mentors attached to year groups as an additional layer of support. That kind of staffing matters when a child needs both academic oversight and someone who will notice the quieter changes: attendance, friendships, confidence, routines.

For students with additional needs, the SEND team is substantial and specific. The SENCo is Mrs K Henshall, supported by an Assistant SENCo, family support workers, and a nurture teacher linked to the Sanctuary. The school also references practical support such as ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), access to counselling, a specialist specific learning difficulty teacher, and staff trained to support hearing-impaired students.

On wellbeing and safety, the school signposts mental health support and runs an anonymous reporting route through its SHARP system. Safeguarding is described as effective, which matters most in the day-to-day: students feeling secure enough to ask for help, and families knowing concerns will be handled seriously.

A school’s enrichment offer is easiest to judge when it gets specific. Blacon’s clubs schedule includes lunchtime options such as Dungeons & Dragons, futsal, a gym club, and an MFL film club, alongside practical and creative routes like craft and design. After school, the programme includes activities such as KS3 football and netball, drama club, and badminton.

Sport

The Specialist Sports College identity shows up not as a slogan but as a normal part of the week. The clubs timetable references facilities such as a sports hall, gym, and MUGA, with some football sessions based on a 3G surface. For sporty children, that means structured opportunities beyond standard PE, including routes that suit team players and those who prefer training-focused sessions.

There is also a broader idea of sport as access: students have opportunities they may not have tried before, including rowing.

Leadership and challenge

Two programmes stand out for older students looking for stretch. The school runs a Combined Cadet Force, meeting on Monday afternoons from 3.10pm to 5.00pm during term time, with activities that build teamwork, leadership and practical skills. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is also part of the offer, with Year 10 encouraged to take part, and the programme led by Miss Ankers.

These are not just badge-collecting extras. They give some students a second way to succeed, especially if motivation lifts when learning feels purposeful and social rather than purely classroom-based.

The school day

The published timetable starts with tutor time at 8.40am and finishes at 3.10pm after the final tutor slot. With clubs and commitments like cadets running beyond the end of the school day, families should plan for a couple of later finishes each week if their child gets involved.

Transport & parking

Blacon sits on the edge of Chester, and Chester railway station is the main rail hub for families commuting into the city. For those driving, the site includes a car park area used for activities after school; it is worth thinking through drop-off and pick-up routines early, especially if siblings are on different schedules.

Performance and progress: The GCSE picture is challenging, with a Progress 8 score of -0.63 and the school ranked 3439th in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking). Ask how Key Stage 4 teaching is being checked for consistency, and what targeted support looks like for students with gaps in learning.

Attendance: Attendance has been a focus, with particular concern around older students not attending as regularly as they should. Families will want to understand what the school expects, how it follows up absence, and what support is available when barriers sit outside the classroom.

SEND at scale: The SEND offer is detailed and staffed, including Sanctuary and Curriculum Plus groupings, family support workers, and links to external services. The trade-off is that the quality of classroom delivery still has to be consistently strong for students with additional needs to thrive, so it is worth probing how staff are supported to adapt teaching well.

Phones and uniform: The phone policy is strict, especially in Key Stage 3, and uniform expectations extend beyond the school day. That clarity will suit some families; others may find it takes adjustment, particularly for children used to more relaxed rules.

Blacon High School is a local 11-16 secondary with clear routines, a strong pastoral structure, and an offer that gives students multiple ways to belong, from sport to cadets to Duke of Edinburgh. The current academic outcomes are the hardest element to ignore, and they explain the intense focus on tightening teaching, curriculum delivery and attendance.

Best suited to families in Blacon and wider Chester who want a structured school day, visible pastoral roles, and a broad Key Stage 4 options menu, and who are ready to engage closely with the school on attendance and learning progress through Key Stage 4.