Sir Graham Balfour High School Review 2026: A broad Stafford academy with a structured day and a collegiate sixth form offer

A six period timetable with a twilight session and an after school library Homework Club sets a clear rhythm here, and it signals a school that expects students to use time well. The school is part of Insight Multi-Academy Trust and serves Stafford families seeking a mainstream 11 to 18 route with a locally networked sixth form offer. The most recent inspection was an ungraded visit in October 2024 which concluded the school had taken effective action to maintain previously identified standards.

Academic performance sits in the middle of the England distribution for both GCSE and A level outcomes on FindMySchool measures, with clear strengths around curriculum planning and a sharper focus on character and participation. The admissions picture shows pressure for Year 7 places, and sixth form is positioned as a partnership model, designed to expand course choice beyond what one site can usually deliver.

The tone is best understood as warm but structured. The inspection report describes a welcoming culture where staff know pupils and families well, and where expectations are clear across lessons and social spaces. Leaders are described as ambitious for pupils and attentive to wellbeing, alongside a stronger culture of mutual respect between staff, pupils and parents than immediately after the pandemic years.

Values and language matter here. The school’s mission statement is Learning, Working and Succeeding Together, and the vision narrative emphasises ambition, compassion, responsible choices, perseverance and resilience. That combination points to a school aiming for calm order rather than informality, and a culture where students are expected to contribute, not just attend.

Leadership is stable and identifiable. Matthew Mason is named as headteacher in the most recent inspection report, and he describes September 2022 as the start of his first term in the role, which helps parents place the school’s current direction in context.

At GCSE, the school ranks 1,926th in England for outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data) and 5th within the Stafford local area. This performance sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is broadly what most parents would recognise as solid, mainstream results rather than an exam driven outlier.

The headline GCSE metrics suggest a mixed profile. Attainment 8 is 44.7, and Progress 8 is -0.17, which indicates students make slightly less progress than similar pupils nationally from their starting points. Entry and achievement in the English Baccalaureate strand is also an area to watch, with 18.9% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure and an average EBacc APS of 4.04. (These figures are best interpreted as signals about the balance of curriculum entries and outcomes, rather than a complete picture of subject quality.)

At A level, the school ranks 1,372nd in England and 5th locally in Stafford for outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), again aligning with the middle 35% of schools in England. Grade distribution data indicates 6.45% of entries at A*, 12.9% at A, and 44.09% at A* to B. England averages are 23.6% at A* or A and 47.2% at A* to B, so the A* to B measure sits slightly below the England comparator.

For parents comparing options locally, this is where FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool can help, particularly for viewing GCSE and A level measures side by side across Stafford schools while keeping the context of cohort size and curriculum offer in mind.

The strongest evidence points to a carefully planned curriculum and improving classroom assessment practice. The most recent inspection describes subject leaders identifying what pupils should know and remember, sequencing learning so that knowledge builds over time, and improving how teachers check what pupils have learned so that gaps can be addressed quickly.

The curriculum offer published on the school site suggests a broad suite of subjects across key stages, spanning creative, academic and applied routes. That includes areas such as Art and Design, Design and Technology, Modern Foreign Languages, Psychology, Travel and Tourism, and Philosophy and Ethics, alongside the core.

Two development areas are also clearly signposted by external evidence. First, the school’s work to support pupils who struggle with reading is described as being at an early stage and not consistently well matched to need, which matters because weak reading fluency can affect access across subjects. Second, while the approach to special educational needs and disabilities is described as rejuvenated, the information shared with staff about needs is described as sometimes lacking clarity and specificity. Those are practical issues for families to explore during visits, especially where a child needs consistent in class adjustments.

Where Students Go Next

There are two distinct “next steps” stories here, one for the sixth form cohort and one for the wider 16 to 18 leavers group.

On destinations, the school sits within a mainstream profile, with a meaningful apprenticeship and employment pathway alongside university progression. For the 2023/24 leavers cohort, 45% progressed to university, 9% to apprenticeships, and 42% into employment. (Percentages may not sum to 100% due to reporting conventions.)

For students aiming at the most selective universities, the available evidence suggests a smaller but real pipeline rather than a high volume one. Over the measurement period, five applications were made to Oxford and Cambridge, four offers were achieved, and one student ultimately took up a place. For the right individual student, that shows the pathway exists, but it is not the defining characteristic of the sixth form experience.

The school’s own published materials also point to a partnership approach for post 16. The sixth form is described as operating within the Stafford Sixth Form Partnership, working with local schools to broaden access to advanced courses. Practically, that can mean wider subject choice and a larger peer group for specialist subjects, but it can also mean a more distributed model of provision.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Staffordshire’s normal admissions process, and the timing is clear for September 2026 entry. The county timetable states the application system opens on 01 September 2025, closes on 31 October 2025, and offers are released on National Offer Day, 02 March 2026.

For September 2026, the Published Admission Number is set at 180. Oversubscription follows a familiar order: pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school are admitted where applicable; priority then includes looked after children and previously looked after children, exceptional medical or hardship circumstances, sibling priority, catchment area priority, then distance (straight line measurement to the main gate) where needed.

Demand indicators suggest this is a competitive option. The most recent admissions figures provided show 335 applications and 194 offers for the entry route dataset, indicating oversubscription overall. Where distance becomes the deciding factor, families should use FindMySchool Map Search to check their own likely position relative to the school gate and to understand how catchment and distance interact in Staffordshire’s allocations.

Open events are typically used as the first serious decision point. The school ran a Year 5 and Year 6 open evening in late September for the September 2026 entry cycle, which is consistent with the typical Stafford timetable for secondary open evenings.

Sixth form entry works differently. Partnership information indicates a closing date at the end of January for applications in the current cycle, and school materials refer to a late January deadline for sixth form applications.

Pastoral support is presented as a defined part of the offer rather than an add on. The school describes a Student Services and Counselling function supporting students across key stages with barriers to learning, including anxiety, bereavement, exam pressure, attendance, anger management, friendship issues and self esteem. This framing matters because it suggests support is designed to reduce obstacles to learning, not simply to respond to crises.

Safeguarding leadership is clearly identified. The school lists a Designated Safeguarding Lead and a Deputy Safeguarding Lead, which is useful for parents who want clarity on roles and escalation routes. Ofsted also records that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Enrichment is organised explicitly around three strands: extra curricular clubs, extension opportunities (such as trips, visits and masterclasses), and wider personal development activities that build practical skills. This is a useful framework because it signals that the school is trying to reach both highly motivated students and those who benefit from structured, confidence building participation.

The extra curricular examples published are concrete. Music includes a Vocal Group and Orchestra; creative and practical options include Textiles and Origami; and there is a Film club and Performing Arts strand. Beyond clubs, the school highlights a Scholars Award programme as a structured achievement route for students seeking stretch and added academic breadth.

Wider personal development routes include Duke of Edinburgh participation, British Sign Language and First aid as optional enrichment activities, which can appeal to students who respond well to practical qualifications and public facing skills.

A final practical point is time and space. The school day includes a twilight sixth period, and the site remains open for a library Homework Club until 5.10pm on Monday to Thursday. That provides an on site study option that can be particularly helpful for students who struggle to work at home or who need a supervised environment to build habits.

The published timetable sets a clear structure: a warning bell at 08.40, form time from 08.45 to 09.10, five main periods ending at 15.15, and a twilight period running 15.15 to 16.15. Homework Club in the library runs after school Monday to Thursday, with the site remaining open until 5.10pm for that purpose.

For logistics, families should plan around the longer day option created by twilight and after school study. Travel and parking patterns vary across Stafford; for most families the key decision is whether the student can travel independently and reliably during darker winter months, particularly if staying for the later Homework Club.

• Progress and consistency of learning. Progress 8 is -0.17, which suggests overall progress is slightly below the England benchmark for similar starting points. Families should ask how this varies by subject and whether current improvements in assessment are translating into more secure progress for all groups.

• Reading support and access to the curriculum. External evidence highlights that support for students who struggle with reading is not yet consistently well matched to need. For a child with weaker literacy, ask what screening is used and how interventions are timetabled without narrowing curriculum access.

• SEND communication in the classroom. The school’s approach to SEND is described as improving, but the clarity and specificity of information shared with staff is flagged as inconsistent. If a child relies on particular adjustments, explore how those strategies are communicated and checked across subjects.

• Sixth form as a partnership model. A collegiate offer can broaden course choice and peer mix, but it may require students to adapt to a more networked model of study. Ask how timetabling works across the partnership and how travel time is managed where courses are delivered across sites.

This is a structured, mainstream Stafford secondary with a clear day shape, defined enrichment strands, and a sixth form offer designed to expand choice through partnership working. It will suit families who value routine, supervised study options after school, and a balanced destinations picture that includes university, apprenticeships and employment. The main challenge is matching fit to need: students who require consistently precise SEND adjustments, or those who need intensive literacy support, should dig into the details of how support is planned and delivered across subjects before deciding.