Digitech Studio School, Bristol

Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades Digitech Studio School on 7 areas: 2 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "When pupils join the school, leaders work diligently with parents, carers and external professionals to understand the known and emerging needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities."

Post 16 provision - Strong standard. "The post-16 programme of study is coherently organised."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils gain the basic knowledge and skills they need to achieve well through the curriculum."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Published data of pupils' attendance for all groups of pupils is low and has remained below the national average over time."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed a well-organised specialised curriculum."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Working with the trust and the academic board, school leaders are clear about the school's strengths and areas for development."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "As part of leaders' planning for the personal development of pupils, there is a well-considered programme to teach personal, social and health education and relationships and sex education."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should build on the work to improve attendance quickly as pupils transition to the school so that pupil attendance and persistent absence continue to improve"; "Leaders should ensure that strategies to develop pupils' literacy skills are implemented effectively across all subjects".

In its own words: "Digitech Studio School is a unique learning community for creative and digitally inspired 14-19-year-old students. It is designed on a small scale to enhance personalised learning and meeting individual needs through the ‘Digitech Code’ of excellence, trust and aspire. Digitech students are immersed in digital, creative and media technologies that give high level employability skills, experiences, and national qualifications."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Digitech delivers a specialised curriculum for progression into the creative, digital and high-tech sectors. Vocational learning and industry led experiences is at the heart of our provision, offering specialist qualifications for students joining us in years 10 and 12. It is important to us that students have high quality experiences of employability ."

In 2026, pupils at Digitech Studio School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 25.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.3 in South Gloucestershire and 47 across England.

14% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in South Gloucestershire and 47% in England.

That is down from 31.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.65: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 18.5, against 29.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 5 subjects.

Across South Gloucestershire, 89% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.

In 2026, families in South Gloucestershire lodged 63 appeals against secondary school offers; 49 reached a hearing and 6 succeeded (12.2% of those heard).

The nearest other state secondary schools to Digitech Studio School are King's Oak Academy (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.2); Sir Bernard Lovell Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 44.6); John Cabot Academy (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.6); and Mangotsfield School (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.3).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Digitech Studio School.

Digitech Studio School is one of 36 schools run by Cabot Learning Federation, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.5 in 2024/25.

Of the 85 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 73% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 26% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 6% into work.

Of the 208 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 36% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 33% into work. 3% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

4.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Mixed (5%).

In 2026, 161 pupils (26.5%) received SEN support and 62 (10.2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

Digitech Studio School had 22 teachers in 2026, one for every 27 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Oldland (Avon Valley Railway), about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Crown Way (n-bound), 240 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Digitech Studio School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 190 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in South Gloucestershire (116), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Digitech Studio School issued 106 suspensions, 17.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Digitech Studio School are Cadbury Heath Primary School (0.4 miles), St Barnabas Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles), Courtney Primary School (0.8 miles) and Parkwall Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.