Schools & FE · Report card

Brighton Hill Community School

Inspected 23 Jun 2026 · published 22 Jul 2026 · URN 149707

Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

John Lucas (lead), Chris Stevens, Elaine Mawson, Fae Dean, Ginny Rhodes, Graeme Napier, Harry Ingham, Jason Philipsz, Paul Williams, Rebecca Iles-Smith, Sarah McGinnis, Tash Hurtado

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Strong standard
Leadership and governance verified
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Strong standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
23 Jun 2026
Inspectors verified
Chris Stevens, Elaine Mawson, Fae Dean, Ginny Rhodes, Graeme Napier, Harry Ingham, Jason Philipsz, John Lucas, Paul Williams, Rebecca Iles-Smith, Sarah McGinnis, Tash Hurtado
Postcode verified
RG22 4HS
Name on report verified
Brighton Hill Community School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
149707

Page 1 of 14

Deep dive

What this report says

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourStrong
Curriculum and teachingExpected
InclusionStrong
Leadership and governanceStrong
Personal development and wellbeingStrong

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+62Positivemore positive than 32% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositivehigh expectationsskilledsuccessfullythriveeffectivewell sequencedfeel safe

Criticismconcernslackspersistently absentgapssuspensionslower

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1258w+59
Leadership261w+79
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve29w+39

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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Leaders should continue their work to improve the quality of teaching in all subjects and support all pupils, including those with barriers to their learning, to achieve consistently well. p.5

What the report dwells on

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Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 14
Words of findings: 1,599; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 41, typical 43
Average sentence: 17 words
Next steps: 1; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 9%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 44%Leadership 9%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 1%About the inspection 45%

Full report text

Brighton Hill Community School

Address: Brighton Way, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 4HS Unique reference number (URN): 149707

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders’ work to ensure that pupils attend regularly and often has had a considerable positive impact. Pupils’ attendance continues to rise and is above that seen nationally. The attendance of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is significantly higher than national. As well as fostering an ethos in which very many pupils develop a sense of belonging and pride in their school, staff promote and celebrate pupils’ high attendance. Leaders carefully consider the individual needs of pupils, particularly those who face significant barriers to regular attendance. Through well-judged support from school staff and external agencies, pupils’ attendance improves. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has fallen significantly.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The strength of relationships is a driving force for pupils’ positive behaviour. Relationships between pupils and staff are positive, and pupils demonstrate respect for one another. Pupils conduct themselves well throughout the school day. Lessons are calm and purposeful. Pupils engage readily with learning and discussions. They take pride in their work. Pupils report that staff deal appropriately with any concerns, including bullying or name-calling. Pupils who need additional help to manage their emotions and behaviour receive this from skilled staff. For some time, the number of suspensions has been significantly lower than that seen nationally in secondary schools.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders’ commitment to inclusion is central to the decisions they make. For example, leaders acted on external advice to develop intelligent systems to identify pupils’ needs quickly and accurately. Staff’s similar shared commitment is evident in their day-to-day practice. Staff use their training and the timely and accurate information in each pupil’s passport to provide consistent support for pupils’ learning, behaviour and attendance.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are, and feel, valued. They have opportunities to participate fully in school life and access the curriculum successfully. The well-balanced combination of knowledgeable support in lessons, guidance from skilled staff in ‘The Hive’ and work with external agencies reduces pupils’ barriers to learning and wellbeing. Leaders support pupils, including those known to social care to develop a powerful sense of belonging.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders’ expert use of additional funding is helping disadvantaged pupils to overcome barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Leaders keep a watchful eye on pupils’ progress and swiftly make changes so that pupils receive the most appropriate support. The impact of this is evident in pupils’ attendance, conduct and increasingly, their achievement.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use alternative provision where it is in pupils’ best interests.

p.2

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Trust and school leaders are deeply reflective and model the high expectations and professionalism they require from staff. Together, they have established an ethos in which decisions are made in pupils’ best interests and based on the cornerstones of commitment, collaboration, courage and kindness.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are committed to continuous and sustained improvement. Those responsible for governance ensure best practice is sustained and shared, and areas needing to be better are improved. Leaders’ careful analysis of the impact of their work enables them to precisely pinpoint areas for development. Supported by the trust and local governance, leaders allocate resources wisely to where they are most needed. They do so while placing the needs of the most vulnerable pupils at the heart of the school’s work. The impact of this is evident in the sustained improvements in pupils’ attendance and behaviour, and in the improving curriculum, teaching and achievement.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders place a high priority on supporting staff wellbeing and career development. They have created a rich culture of professional learning, underpinned by educational research. Staff are keen to improve and they are enthusiastic about these training opportunities. Leaders recognise the value of working with other schools and professional organisations. They do so in the best interests of pupils and staff. This too, enriches the quality of the school’s work.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

While many parents are supportive of the school’s work, some are not and express frustration about how the school communicates with them. The trust, working with school leaders and governors is taking decisive steps to improve the ways that the school communicates with parents.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders’ ambition that pupils can achieve their dreams and make success inevitable underpins the school’s well-crafted personal development programme. The positive difference this makes to pupils is reflected in their conduct, confidence and their increasing independence and resilience. This programme is underpinned by discrete pastoral care that is an entitlement for all pupils and responsive to their needs. For example, pupils appreciate and make appropriate use of the school’s ‘Wellbeing Centre’ and ‘The Hive’ when they need a little extra support or reassurance.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

One of the most notable features of the personal development offer is the 'Greatest Of All The Boys' project. This innovative work is boosting boys’ self-esteem and strengthening links with the local community. This project reflects leaders’ determination to work with external agencies to provide pupils with the guidance that they need to thrive. The school's work to support pupils who have experienced personal loss is another example of the sensitive support that pupils receive.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils develop an age-appropriate knowledge of important issues in preparation for adulthood. This includes their increasingly detailed understanding of relationships, safety, artificial intelligence and finance, as well as what it means to be a positive member of the community. For example, pupils understand the different forms that discrimination can take,

p.3

Expected standard

why equality matters and the importance of being respectful. The school’s high profile deep learning days promote pupils’ sense of right and wrong and help them to make meaningful connections with prior studies.

p.4

Expected standard

Leaders actively promote the wide range of clubs and visits to all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. This leads to high proportions of pupils taking part in at least one activity.

p.4

Expected standard

Pupils benefit from the school’s ambitious and well-thought-through careers provision. Upon leaving school, high proportions of pupils remain in education, employment or training

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, typically achieve well and this is reflected in their academic attainment at the end of key stage 4. Disadvantaged pupils’ improving attainment is evident in their outcomes in English, mathematics, and modern foreign languages. The attainment gaps between these pupils and other pupils nationally are closing.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are generally gaining the knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects necessary to be successful for the next stages of their education. This is evident in their discussions as well as their written and practical work in subjects such as art, geography, history, mathematics and science. It is increasingly the case in English.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Many pupils who need additional help to bolster their knowledge and skills in reading and writing achieve increasingly well. This is not the case for a few pupils.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have crafted coherent, well sequenced curriculums in many subjects. They have used their knowledge of how pupils, including those with barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, learn best to frame their high expectations for teaching in the ‘Brighton Hill Hallmarks of Success’. Making use of the frequent, regular training that they receive, teachers understand and typically apply the 'Hallmarks' in their day-to-day teaching.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

In the most effective practice, teachers use their subject expertise to set out clearly what pupils will learn and how this links to previous studies. Teachers combine effective use of assessment with plenty of opportunities for pupils to apply the new knowledge they have learned. Additionally, teachers are aware of and typically support pupils who need additional help with their reading and writing well. This practice is increasingly commonplace but not engrained within all subjects. At times, teachers’ use of assessment lacks the precision needed to enable them to adapt teaching in response to pupils’ misconceptions.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a detailed understanding of the quality of the curriculum and how it is taught. They use this information to share best practice and bring about improvements where they are needed.

p.4