Balcarras: an 11-18 coeducational academy with over 1400 pupils on roll. Consistently rated outstanding by Ofsted, the school secures superb outcomes at both GCSE and A level. Recently the school was awarded the Sunday Times Southwest State School of the Decade Award. The school is led by Dominic Burke (Headteacher) who combines this role with CEO of the Trust. Balcarras is the lead school in the GLOW Maths Hub and the Balcarras Teaching School Partnership. Balcarras is located in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham. 

Balcarras School is part of the Balcarras Trust. The Mission Statement of The Balcarras Trust:

The Balcarras Trust is committed to delivering outstanding inclusive, comprehensive education in each of its schools. Every child within the Trust will be expected, encouraged and supported to reach their full potential and, when they leave school, to be fully equipped to go on to be successful in the next phase of their lives.

The Trust will establish and maintain high standards of teaching, pastoral care and behaviour in its schools. No child will be “left behind.” There will be excellent opportunities for extra-curricular activities.

Each member of staff in the Trust’s schools will be an excellent role model and will play their part in ensuring that each school in the Trust will have its own special ethos. Students will feel proud of their school.

Welcome from the Headteacher

Our aim at Balcarras is simple: we want this to be one of the very best schools in the country. We aim to ensure that our students receive a better education here than they would at any other school, be it comprehensive, grammar or independent. 

We pride ourselves that this is a school where every individual is valued and feels safe, where all students are inspired not only to do their best but to expand their horizons, and where everyone involved in school life feels a great sense of pride and enjoyment at being part of this community. 

We are keen to emphasise not just academic success but those areas which bring colour and vitality to the student experience, such as art, drama, sport, music and the full range of extra-curricular activities on offer. I do hope that this visit to the school’s website will give you a flavour of some of these things and an insight into what makes the school a special place to be.  It is a very exciting and rewarding time to be working at Balcarras. Our latest GCSE grades were extraordinary and put us in the Top 30 comprehensive schools in the country based on the percentage of pupils gaining 5+ in English and Maths. At A level the picture was similar. We were listed by the Sunday Times as the second highest performing comprehensive school in the Southwest in Parent Power published in November 2023. It is this commitment to the highest academic standards, whilst at the same time being a caring and stimulating environment, that makes Balcarras feel different from anywhere else.

As part of the Balcarras Trust, our teaching staff have access to outstanding professional development networks including NPQs and ECTs if appropriate.

If you're searching for your next education job, please get in touch. You'll be working for a great employer and be part of a friendly, helpful team. We're always interested to hear from enthusiastic, committed education professionals - send us your CV now via our Talent Pool and detail what sort of role you're looking for. By joining our Talent Pool we'll know you're interested in working here when the right vacancy comes up.

What is it like working at Balcarras?

Balcarras is a great place to work, from staff football and wreath making sessions to Chinese cookery —Balcarras creates opportunities for staff cohesion. We recently ran a whole Trust staff inset on staff wellbeing that covered topics such as physical well being, mental well being, financial wellbeing and reducing workload. Both staff and pupils benefit from Buddy the school dog who is the one of best appointments ever made!

What is the surrounding area like?

Members of staff moving into the area to join Balcarras have a wide variety of locations from which to choose. There are the large urban areas of Cheltenham and Gloucester together with the many modern housing developments clustered around them, the older market towns such as Cirencester and the smaller villages and hamlets of the Cotswolds. Within a short distance of the school it is possible to find both the facilities of a thriving urban area and the tranquillity of unspoiled countryside.

Balcarras occupies an attractive site at the very edge of Charlton Kings. The woods and fields of the Cotswold escarpment rise up to the east and south east, while in other directions there is housing surrounding the old village centre.