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Schools across Bristol, City of

Local authority · 175 schools across 7 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Bristol, City of (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bristol, City of (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Bristol, City of →

Schools in Bristol, City of (175)

Showing 20 of 175 schools

Total Schools

175

102 primary · 24 secondary

Total Pupils

69,283

90% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

49

4 outstanding · 45 good

Capacity

77,032

7,749 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

45
122
Outstanding: 4
Good: 45
Requires Improvement: 4
Not inspected: 122

Best Schools in Bristol, City of

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

34.6

GCSE Eng+Maths

26.8%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

88% full
33,707 pupils38,318 capacity

4,611 spare places

Secondary Schools

94% full
23,855 pupils25,282 capacity

1,427 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

7.7%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

21.6%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

133

2024/25

Absence trend across Bristol, City of schools

5.6%
18/19
6.3%
20/21
8.6%
21/22
8.7%
22/23
8.4%
23/24
7.7%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

7%

Plans Issued

957

Assessment Requests

1,471

Tribunal Cases

21

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

1%
2019
22%
2020
33%
2021
38%
2022
57%
2023
17%
2024
7%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

5,759 admissions

10

Lodged

(0.2%)

5

Heard

1

Successful

(20%)

Primary (infant classes)

4,791 admissions

6

Lodged

(0.1%)

4

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Secondary

5,306 admissions

205

Lodged

(3.9%)

153

Heard

43

Successful

(28%)

Total

11,065 admissions

215

Lodged

(1.9%)

158

Heard

44

Successful

(28%)

Total appeals lodged per year

979
2019
777
2020
891
2021
792
2022
690
2023
812
2024
614
2025
436
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Bristol, City of

Bristol

169 schools

Chippenham

1 schools

Montpelier

1 schools

Kingswood

1 schools

Hengrove

1 schools

Bedminster

1 schools

BRISTOL

1 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Bristol, City of

How many schools are there in Bristol, City of?

Bristol, City of has 175 open schools: 102 state primary, 30 state secondary or all-through, 9 independent, 18 special and 16 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Bristol, City of are rated Outstanding?

20 schools in Bristol, City of were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: LPW Independent School, Christ Church Church of England Primary School, Bishop Road Primary School, Elmlea Infant School, Frome Vale Academy and 15 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 138 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

LPW Independent SchoolChrist Church Church of England Primary SchoolBishop Road Primary SchoolElmlea Infant SchoolFrome Vale Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Bristol, City of get the best GCSE results?

Of the 27 schools in Bristol, City of with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Bristol Free School, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.3 and 70% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Redland Green School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.9 and 65% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and E-ACT Montpelier High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.6 and 61% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Bristol Free SchoolRedland Green SchoolE-ACT Montpelier High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Bristol, City of have the best SATs results?

Of the 92 primary schools in Bristol, City of with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Elmlea Junior School (96% in reading, 96% in maths); Westbury Park School (93% in reading, 98% in maths); and Bridge Learning Campus (97% in reading, 92% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Elmlea Junior SchoolWestbury Park SchoolBridge Learning Campus

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Bristol, City of?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Bristol, City of selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Bristol, City of have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Bristol, City of have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Bristol, City of allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Bristol, City of?

Apply to Bristol, City of through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables