Five Acres High School, Coleford

Ofsted's report card from its 2 June 2026 inspection grades Five Acres High School on 6 areas: 1 exceptional and 5 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Exceptional. "Leaders have established a deeply embedded culture in which pupils' personal growth, character development and wellbeing are prioritised in all aspects of school life."

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged or have other barriers to their learning, progress very well through the curriculum."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils understand that high attendance is an important part of being a successful learner."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders, with the support of the trust, have developed a highly ambitious curriculum that has been expertly tailored to meet the needs of all pupils."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have the highest aspirations for all pupils within the school."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders and those responsible for governance have high expectations for all aspects of the school."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders and those responsible for governance should continue to enhance curriculum implementation so that exceptional standards of teaching have a transformational impact on the achievement of all pupils in all areas of the curriculum".

In its own words: "It is a tremendous privilege to be Headteacher of Five Acres High School, a school with incredible standards and with the community at its heart. Our outstanding GCSE results over the past three years place us inside the top 5% of schools nationally."

In 2026, pupils at Five Acres High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 51.2 in Gloucestershire and 47 across England.

48% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 54% in Gloucestershire and 47% in England.

That is down from 51.8 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.77: pupils made well above 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 37.1, against 50.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 120 families put Five Acres High School as their first choice and 202 named it as one of their preferences, for 130 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

Five Acres High School is one of 39 schools run by Greenshaw Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48 in 2024/25.

Of the 136 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 77% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 46% to a further education college, 9% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.

2.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Dean Forest Railway, about 3.6 miles away in a straight line.

17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High School (inside), 50 metres away.

In 2024/25, Five Acres High School issued 161 suspensions, 19.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Five Acres High School are Berry Hill Primary School (0.3 miles), St John's C of E Academy (1.1 miles) and Coalway Primary School (1.3 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.