Balance Alternative Provision

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 March 2025

Pupils enjoy their time at the school. Staff show genuine care and commitment to pupils. They know and understand pupils' needs and interests. Furthermore, staff develop trusting relationships with pupils, parents and carers. The school is effective in building pupils' confidence and self-esteem. It gives pupils every opportunity to succeed, both in school and in preparation for a return to full-time mainstream education. The school has high aspirations for what pupils can achieve. It expects pupils to work hard in lessons. Most pupils respond well and show positive attitudes to their learning. The school consolidates and extends the learning that pupils receive in their mainstream schools. Pupils behave in a calm and sensible manner. They show respect and kindness to others. The school deals effectively with occasional incidents of inappropriate behaviour. It works with pupils to help them manage their own behaviour. The school gives pupils opportunities to gain new experiences. Pupils enjoy educational visits to places of local historical and cultural interest. They also visit local employers and learn about public services. Pupils engage in activities such as climbing, outdoor learning and art therapy. The school makes a significant contribution to pupils' personal development.

What the school should improve

• The school's cross-curricular 'inspire curriculum' does not provide pupils with a coherent and progressive body of disciplinary subject knowledge. This means that sometimes, key stage 4 pupils do not gain a depth of knowledge appropriate to their stage of education. The school should ensure that it further develops its 'inspire curriculum' so that it provides pupils with the disciplinary subject knowledge they need to prepare them for the next stage of their education.
• At key stage 3, sometimes teachers do not check pupils' understanding with sufficient rigour before moving on to the next stage of learning. This means that pupils develop gaps in their knowledge and find it difficult to apply what they have been taught. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with the professional development they need to adapt teaching in lessons so that they secure pupils' essential knowledge and understanding with greater consistency.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)