Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #16 in Somerset public Top 29% UK

Robert Blake School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMiss Deb Loveridge

corporate_fareBridgwater Education Trust

location_onBridgwater, TA6 6AW

language Visit Website phone 1278456243

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

973

trending_up

Attainment 8

42.9

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#16 in Somerset

#2,103 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Robert Blake School is a Foundation school secondary school in Bridgwater, serving ages 11-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

Robert Blake School is a foundation school in Bridgwater, Somerset, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of Bridgwater Education Trust. The school has approximately 1,042 pupils on roll, of whom 34% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.9, placing the school #16 in Somerset and #2,103 of 3,216 nationally. 37.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 11.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.2:1. There is 1 teaching vacancy.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 18.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

42.9

Grade 5+ E&M

37.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)11.7%

Entering EBacc36.80%

EBacc APS3.79

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.53

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36.60%

EBacc APS3.43

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.79

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

37.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44%

EBacc APS3.24

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.69

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc43%

EBacc APS3.47

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.22

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc16%

EBacc APS3.37

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.44

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

39.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15%

EBacc APS3.13

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

16 October 2024

Inspection Report

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10 October 2023

Inspection Report

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04 December 2019

Inspection Report

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08 December 2015

Inspection Report

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13 February 2014

Inspection Report

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05 December 2013

Inspection Report

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28 September 2011

Inspection Report

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30 November 2009

Inspection Report

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17 September 2008

Inspection Report

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20 November 2007

Inspection Report

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12 October 2005

Inspection Report

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29 November 1999

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-10-10

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2019-12-04

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2015-12-08

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-12-05

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

17.2%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

7.1%(74 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,042 pupils. During this period, there were 179 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 17.2%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,042	179	17.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,057	212	20.1%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,047	293	28.0%	7.4%	8
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,046	305	29.2%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,065	233	21.9%	8.2%	4
2022/23 (Summer term)	970	161	16.6%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	973	187	19.2%	6.4%	6
2022/23 (Autumn term)	977	101	10.3%	5.9%	4
2021/22 (Summer term)	932	63	6.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	941	87	9.2%	4.9%	4
2021/22 (Autumn term)	948	174	18.4%	4.4%	3
2020/21 (Summer term)	893	139	15.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	891	33	3.7%	1.0%	2
2020/21 (Autumn term)	893	112	12.5%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	850	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	850	63	7.4%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	855	68	8.0%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	800	110	13.8%	3.1%	3
2018/19 (Spring term)	800	165	20.6%	3.8%	5
2018/19 (Autumn term)	804	200	24.9%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	768	100	13.0%	3.4%	3
2017/18 (Spring term)	777	84	10.8%	3.0%	2
2017/18 (Autumn term)	781	95	12.2%	3.7%	4
2016/17 (Summer term)	753	104	13.8%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	756	83	11.0%	3.3%	4
2016/17 (Autumn term)	749	44	5.9%	3.1%	1

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 62 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 51 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 37 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 21 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 12 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 9 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 3 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

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Robert Blake School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Somerset

The Castle School

Sexey's School

Huish Episcopi Academy

The Blue School

Haygrove School

The Kings of Wessex Academy