Cotham Gardens Primary School, Bristol
Cotham Gardens Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bristol. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 93rd-highest of the 198 schools in Bristol with published results, and 7,071st of 14,452 across England. It was 64% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bristol, City of (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Cotham Gardens Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils at Cotham Gardens Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 74% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 72% in Bristol, City of; and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 72% in reading and 59% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Cotham Gardens Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Cotham Gardens Primary School as their first choice and 42 named it as one of their preferences, for 22 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Cotham Gardens Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cotham Gardens Primary School are Ss Peter and Paul RC Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 93% reading, 89% maths); Willow Park CofE Primary School (0.7 miles, Inadequate, 75% reading, 75% maths); Willow Park CofE Primary School (0.7 miles); and E-ACT Fairlawn Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 70% reading, 76% maths).
Cotham Gardens Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Ss Peter and Paul RC Primary SchoolWillow Park CofE Primary SchoolWillow Park CofE Primary SchoolE-ACT Fairlawn Primary School
What parents say
45 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cotham Gardens Primary School (as of September 2026): 82% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Who goes there
49.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (40%), Black (23%) and Mixed (15%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Redland Rail Station, about 230 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cotham Park (se-bound), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cotham Gardens Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1462 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Bristol, City of (417), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cotham Gardens Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Cotham Gardens Primary School are North Bristol Post 16 Centre (0.1 miles), Cotham School (0.2 miles), E-ACT Montpelier High School (0.3 miles) and Redland Green School (0.5 miles).
North Bristol Post 16 CentreCotham SchoolE-ACT Montpelier High SchoolRedland Green School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has made a strong start on its improvement journey with much better reading teaching using high-quality texts and proven strategies that help children become confident readers. New leadership and a restructured team are bringing greater focus and consistency to teaching, with improved behaviour creating calm classrooms where pupils can concentrate. The school is also providing more effective support for pupils with special educational needs through better identification systems and staff training.
Key Strengths
- Much stronger approach to teaching reading with high-quality texts and engaging strategies like choral and echo reading
- Improved leadership capacity with new permanent headteacher and restructured leadership team
- Significantly improved pupil behaviour with calm, purposeful classrooms and positive attitudes to learning
- Effective systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND with increased staff training
- Strong governance from trustees who actively hold leaders accountable for school improvement
Areas for Improvement
- Insufficient decodable books for some pupils in lower Key Stage 2 who need extra reading practice
- Variability in how the curriculum is assessed and taught, especially in wider curriculum subjects
- Some teaching does not build precisely enough on what pupils already know, so pupils don't secure knowledge well enough
- Need to develop how leaders review the quality and impact of interventions for pupils with SEND
Cotham Gardens Primary School is in special measures and has made progress toward improvement since December 2024, but more work is necessary. New leadership structures and targeted interventions in reading and mathematics show promise, though variability in teaching quality and curriculum delivery remain concerns.
At a Glance
27.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
45 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 72% to 81% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 59% to 74% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 49% to 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.1
Avg class size
23.4
Infant (KS1)
27.6
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cotham Gardens Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cotham Gardens Primary School.
- Shine @ Cotham GardensAt the school · Not yet graded
- Sparks Film School Bristol Central400m away · Not yet graded
- First Class Learning - Redland780m away · Not yet graded
- Stagecoach Bristol Central810m away · Not yet graded
- Soccer Shooters RGS810m away · Not yet graded
- Shine @ St John's Infants920m away · Not yet graded
Nurseries
Shine @ Cotham Gardens is at Cotham Gardens Primary School.
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Cotham Gardens Primary School, with their latest published grades:
- Elmtree Preschool - Day nursery, under 0.1 milesOfsted, 30 September 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Archfield House Nursery - Day nursery, under 0.1 milesOfsted, 22 March 2023: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- The Tin Drum Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, 0.1 milesOfsted, 9 October 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- St Matthews Playgroup - Pre-school, 0.2 milesOfsted, 7 July 2021: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Snapdragons Nursery Redland - Day nursery, 0.2 milesOfsted, 19 July 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
Term dates
Cotham Gardens Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bristol, City of's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cotham Gardens Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cotham Gardens Primary School is in Bristol, City of; for families living there:
- Bristol, City of's school travel policy: Home to school travel policy
- How to apply: Apply online for home school travel support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 51
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 12 serious and 39 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Bristol, City of is 27 (the median across 175 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Cotham Gardens Primary School
Will you get a place at Cotham Gardens Primary School?
For 2026 entry it had 22 first choices for 22 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
64%
Available places
403 pupils
630 places
227 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Across Bristol, City of council
Places available
5,210
Applications
4,287
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Bristol, City of council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Bishopston, Ashley Down, Cotham & Redland Primary planning area (Bristol, City of) will have 555 spare primary places in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(5)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
51
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
17.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
365
Total Pupils
159
Boys
206
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
16.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,637
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,285
Per pupil
£2397k
Total funding
£120k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
12.7%
Persistent absence
410
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Cotham Gardens Primary School
What are SATs results like at Cotham Gardens Primary School?
Of the pupils at Cotham Gardens Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 81% reached the expected standard in reading and 74% did so in maths.
What is Cotham Gardens Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Cotham Gardens Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2025, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Good.
Is it hard to get a place at Cotham Gardens Primary School?
Cotham Gardens Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 64% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Cotham Gardens Primary School?
Classes at Cotham Gardens Primary School average 26.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cotham Gardens Primary School?
Cotham Gardens Primary School has around 365 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cotham Gardens Primary School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Cotham Gardens Primary School in 2024/25. 12.7% of pupils were persistently absent.
Does Cotham Gardens Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Shine @ Cotham Gardens (registered, not yet graded). There are 5 more within a kilometre.
How many road collisions happen near Cotham Gardens Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 12 serious and 39 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Bristol, City of is 27 (the median across 175 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cotham Gardens Primary School?
Cotham Gardens Primary School is at 18 Cotham Grove, Bristol, BS6 6AL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)