Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #3 in Bristol, City of public Top 6% UK

Bristol Free School

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

personHead not listed

corporate_fareRUSSELL EDUCATION TRUST

location_onBristol, BS10 6NJ

language Visit Website phone 1179597200

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

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Students

1,217

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Attainment 8

56.3

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GCSE Rank

#4 in Bristol, City of

#392 of 3,216 nationally

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Bristol Free School is a Free schools secondary school in Bristol, serving ages 11-19. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.3×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Bristol Free School is a free schools in Bristol, Bristol, City of, admitting pupils aged 11-19. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of RUSSELL EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,292 pupils on roll, of whom 14% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 56.3, placing the school #4 in Bristol, City of and #392 of 3,216 nationally. 66.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 36.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 21 A-level subjects. 64.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 38.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.16 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.3× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

56.3

Grade 5+ E&M

66.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)36.7%

Entering EBacc48.00%

EBacc APS5.18

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.43

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47.70%

EBacc APS5.32

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.33

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc37%

EBacc APS5.17

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.14

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44%

EBacc APS4.6

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc50%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.27

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS4.83

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.11

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc66%

EBacc APS4.55

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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

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.16

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

129

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*15.3%

Achieving A*–A38.6%

Achieving A*–B64.5%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate96.9%

A-level subjects offered21

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.36

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils do significantly better than expected at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate97.40%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate97.50%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

Retention rate95.2%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

08 March 2022

Inspection Report

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15 March 2018

Inspection Report

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19 February 2013

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2022-03-08

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-03-15

S5 Inspection Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2013-02-19

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

2.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.7%(22 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 1,292 pupils. During this period, there were 29 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.2%, which is below 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)	1,292	29	2.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,292	32	2.5%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,273	16	1.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,277	24	1.9%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,279	68	5.3%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,214	54	4.4%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,217	55	4.5%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,219	49	4.0%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,165	28	2.4%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,157	29	2.5%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,168	26	2.2%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,131	36	3.2%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,138	9	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,139	29	2.5%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,064	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,064	47	4.4%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,075	35	3.3%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	992	25	2.5%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	990	27	2.7%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,000	34	3.4%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	937	30	3.2%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	947	47	5.0%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	948	24	2.5%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	830	21	2.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	838	19	2.3%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	839	22	2.6%	3.1%	0

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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 73 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 38 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 36 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 34 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 30 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 21 pupils

Physical Disability 8 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils