Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #11 in South Gloucestershire public Top 27% UK

Sir Bernard Lovell Academy

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

personDr Robin Bassford

corporate_fareFUTURA LEARNING PARTNERSHIP

location_onBristol, BS30 8TS

language Visit Website phone 1174565900

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2021

groups

Students

1,192

trending_up

Attainment 8

44.5

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#9 in South Gloucestershire

#1,824 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Sir Bernard Lovell Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Bristol, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

article

School Summary

Sir Bernard Lovell Academy is an academy sponsor led in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of FUTURA LEARNING PARTNERSHIP. The school has approximately 1,261 pupils on roll, of whom 18% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.5, placing the school #9 in South Gloucestershire and #1,824 of 3,216 nationally. 43.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 11.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 20 A-level subjects. 23.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 10.2% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.83 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2021. 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.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 10.0 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

44.5

Grade 5+ E&M

43.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)11.7%

Entering EBacc19.60%

EBacc APS3.74

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc26.00%

EBacc APS4.18

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.37

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS4.13

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.28

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc17%

EBacc APS4.24

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc21%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.25

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15%

EBacc APS3.82

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.47

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc12%

EBacc APS3.34

explore

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

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships11%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships9%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships6%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

workspace_premium

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

-0.83

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*2.3%

Achieving A*–A10.2%

Achieving A*–B23.9%

VA Banding Well below average

Retention rate86.7%

A-level subjects offered20

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.5

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate83.30%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate96.7%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

04 November 2021

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

28 February 2018

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2021-11-04

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-02-28

Academy First Section 5 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2014-02-05

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

9.9%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

5.5%(69 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 1,261 pupils. During this period, there were 125 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 9.9%, 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)	1,261	125	9.9%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,284	130	10.1%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,229	130	10.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,244	139	11.2%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,251	123	9.8%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,181	78	6.6%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,192	88	7.4%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,199	89	7.4%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,137	63	5.5%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,153	63	5.5%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,170	67	5.7%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,091	48	4.4%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,098	18	1.6%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,097	54	4.9%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,010	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,010	43	4.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,011	65	6.4%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	959	60	6.3%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	964	69	7.2%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	969	120	12.4%	3.8%	3
2017/18 (Summer term)	981	127	12.9%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	991	93	9.4%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,004	210	20.9%	3.7%	3
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,024	169	16.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,035	76	7.3%	3.3%	4
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,039	32	3.1%	3.1%	0

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

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 69 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 39 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 38 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 36 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 32 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils