Blaise High School

Inspection of Blaise High School Station Road, Henbury, Bristol, Bristol BS10 7QH

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Inspection dates: 27 to 28 September, and 31 st October

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Nat Nabarro. This school is part of Greenshaw Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Will Smith, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Anne Spackman. 27 and 28 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Blaise High School has undergone a period of significant and rapid change. The school expects all pupils to achieve well. It aims to ‘enable every pupil to climb their own personal mountain to the very best universities’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn in a calm, purposeful and safe environment. The school has established how it expects pupils to behave. If poor behaviour occurs, it is not tolerated and so does not interrupt learning. Pupils behave well around the school site. They develop positive relationships with each other and with staff. However, some pupils are not clear why these expectations are important.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides an array of enrichment opportunities to develop pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils enjoy sports, music, chess and creative clubs. Some older pupils take part in outdoor adventure challenges, which develop their character. Year 7 pupils enjoy attending an overnight camp. Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (specially resourced provision) have a thoughtfully designed enrichment programme, which enhances their wider development.

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better?

The curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils. Pupils attending the specially resourced provision follow a different curriculum to their peers that is well matched to their needs and abilities. The school has significantly increased the number of pupils who learn both a humanities subject and a language in key stage 4. As a result, a higher proportion of pupils now continue with a strong academic curriculum for longer.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They introduce new learning clearly. Pupils practise what they have learned and build on what they already know and can do. Teachers check what pupils remember. They correct pupils’ errors and misconceptions. However, pupils have few opportunities to discuss the subject matter, which limits their opportunity to explain their learning.

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better?

The school quickly identifies pupils who cannot read well. Precise support is provided to help pupils to improve their reading. All pupils read widely and often. This helps them to expand their vocabulary and to experience many different genres of book.

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better?

Pupils follow routines and instructions promptly. The number of pupils suspended or removed from lessons has fallen. Leaders have established effective support for pupils to enable them to reflect on their behaviour when it falls below the school’s expectations This has helped most pupils to learn well in the classroom. However, some pupils do not understand why the rules are important to improve behaviour. Consequently, a minority have not yet developed a secure understanding of how to behave appropriately. 27 and 28 September 2023

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There is an age-appropriate programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE). It takes account of the risks that pupils may be exposed to. There is variability in the effectiveness of the PSHE programme across the school. Some pupils have a limited understanding of healthy relationships, consent and sex education. Although pupils learn about different views and opinions, they do not all have opportunities to discuss and debate ideas.

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Students in the sixth form gain the knowledge they need to embark on adult life. They have many experiences of the workplace. Students get the bespoke guidance that they need to make decisions about their next steps. This is aligned closely to their needs and aspirations. Some pupils have attended a careers fair but many do not feel they have received the advice that they need. The trust has recently begun further work to develop pupils’ aspirations, including knowledge of careers.

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The school has a clear vision, which is shared with staff, parents and pupils. However, some parents have negative views about their child’s experiences of school. Leaders acknowledge that they have not communicated their vision effectively to some parents and carers.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. Their workloads are manageable. Teachers can focus on teaching in disruption free classrooms.

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Governors, trustees and trust leaders have effective systems for holding leaders to account. The trust provides additional support for areas that the school is developing. For example, they have provided resources to support the school in improving attendance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s approach to behaviour management is not fully understood by some pupils. Consequently, a few pupils still struggle to understand the most appropriate way to behave. The trust must ensure that all pupils know the impact of poor behaviour choices. The trust should help these pupils to develop an intrinsic understanding and motivation to behave well.  The school has not communicated with some parents and carers well enough. Consequently, they express dissatisfaction with some aspects of the school’s work. Leaders should explore how they can extend opportunities to engage with such parents in a positive and constructive way.  The implementation of the PSHE curriculum is not consistently effective across the school. This means that some pupils have a limited understanding of essential 27 and 28 September 2023

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content. The trust must ensure that all staff have the confidence and expertise to enable all pupils to learn about social issues in preparation for life in school and the world beyond school.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 27 and 28 September 2023

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school uses four unregistered and three registered alternative provisions.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for 45 pupils with specific learning difficulties, all of whom have an education and health care plan (EHCP).

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Information about this school

 The school sixth form provides education for eight students who have specific learning difficulties. All students in the sixth form have an EHCP. 27 and 28 September 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Very occasionally, Ofsted’s quality assurance process may suggest gaps in the inspection evidence base, which will cause Ofsted to conclude that the inspection is incomplete. This happened at Blaise High school. Two of His Majesty’s Inspectors returned to the school on 31 October 2023 to gather additional information to secure the evidence base. In such cases, the inspection report is not published until Ofsted is satisfied that the inspection is secure.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: English, mathematics, science, art, modern foreign languages and history.

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Information about this inspection

 For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector/inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  An inspector contacted some the alternative providers used by the school.  Inspectors met with senior leaders from the school and the trust, including the CEO.  An inspector met with the trustees and a member of the local governing body.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and the views of staff and pupils in Ofsted’s online survey. Inspectors also spoke to pupils

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Information about this inspection

and staff in meetings and around the school site.  Inspectors also visited personal development lessons, reading time and school line up.

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Inspection team

Sarah Favager-Dalton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gemma Mann Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 September 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted 27 and 28 September 2023

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