Official inspection reports and grades
Inspected 2 February 2023
Compared with the local authority and England
Attainment 8 scores a pupil's best 8 GCSE results, out of about 90. Progress 8 compares those results with pupils who started secondary school at the same level: 0 is average.
| Measure | School | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 52.3 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
Grade 4 is a standard pass; grade 5 is a strong pass.
| Measure | School | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 57% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 64% | 65% |
| 5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths | 73% | 59% | 60% |
The EBacc is English, maths, science, a language, and history or geography. It is a set of subjects rather than a qualification.
| Measure | School | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entering the EBacc | 55% | 34% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.1 |
Based on 188 pupils at the end of key stage 4.
School workforce census, 2025/26.
Ofsted’s survey of parents at this school
74%
of parents would recommend this school to another parent
395 responses up to 1 January 2024 · 43% response rate
My child is happy at this school.
79% agreeMy child feels safe at this school.
81% agreeThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.
81% agreeMy child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.
35% agreeThe school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.
63% agreeBalshaw's Church of England High School was graded Good at its last Ofsted inspection, on 2 February 2023.
Apply through the council where you live by 31 October in your child's Year 6, for a place starting the following September. You apply to your home council even if Balshaw's Church of England High School is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day. As a Church of England school it may also ask for a supplementary form, and its admissions policy says whether it does.
No. Distance only counts when Balshaw's Church of England High School has more applicants than places. Then its admission criteria, set by the local authority, Lancashire, decide who is offered a place first. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or a catchment area. As a Church of England school, it can give priority to children on grounds of faith. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
Balshaw's Church of England High School had 933 pupils aged 11 to 16 at the latest school census. Its official capacity is 925. It is a mixed school with no sixth form, so students move on at 16.