Blaise High School Awarded Gold in Sutton Trust Fair School Admissions Award

The award celebrates schools that have made determined and significant changes to their admissions policies to ensure fair access for all pupils, regardless of socioeconomic background. Blaise High School was specifically recognised for introducing Pupil Premium priority within its admissions policy, a change that helps ensure disadvantaged pupils have the same opportunity to access the school as their peers.

The Sutton Trust’s research has long highlighted that some of England’s top comprehensive schools are, in practice, socially selective, meaning that a child’s postcode or background can shape which school they attend and, in turn, their life chances. With around 90% of secondary schools acting as their own admissions authorities, school leaders have real power to change this. Blaise High School’s Gold award shows what that leadership looks like when it is put into action.

Isabel Ambrose, Director of Secondary Education at Greenshaw Learning Trust, called the news “wonderful”, adding that it is “what inclusion is all about”. Patrick Farmbrough, Assistant Director of Education, offered his congratulations too, describing the award as “a wonderful reflection on how ambitious the view of inclusion is at Blaise High School”.

Since the Pledge launched in March 2024, 118 schools nationally have joined and 108 Fair School Admissions Awards have been granted. Blaise High School’s Gold award places it firmly among the sector’s leaders on this agenda, and its approach offers a model that other schools across the Trust, and beyond, can learn from.

The Gold award is a well-deserved recognition of Blaise High School’s values and its continued commitment to ensuring that every child, whatever their background, has fair access to an excellent education.