Grace Garden School, Bristol
Grace Garden School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 16 in Bristol. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Grace Garden School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Grace Garden School are North Star 82° (0.7 miles); Elmfield School for Deaf Children (0.9 miles, Good); Kingsweston School (1.1 miles, Good); and North Star 240° (1.3 miles, Good).
North Star 82°Elmfield School for Deaf ChildrenKingsweston SchoolNorth Star 240°
What parents say
13 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Grace Garden School (as of September 2025): 77% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Grace Garden School has an education, health and care plan (37 of 37 in 2026).
Grace Garden School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sea Mills Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sandyleaze (ne-bound), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Grace Garden School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Grace Garden School transforms the lives of pupils who have previously struggled with education through a uniquely caring and supportive approach. The school combines excellent behaviour support and strong relationships with an innovative land and craft-based curriculum that builds confidence, engagement and real-world skills. Pupils develop strong self-esteem, thrive academically from their starting points, and leave equipped with the life skills and aspirations needed for their future.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes supported by strong, trusting relationships between staff and pupils -
- Exemplary personal development programme building self-esteem, confidence and understanding of respect and equality -
- Effective use of land and craft-based learning (PSTE) that broadens horizons and helps pupils engage deeply with the world -
- High-priority reading support helping pupils catch up and develop fluency with ambitious vocabulary -
- Strong personalised approach with thorough pupil assessment, individualised timetables and regular reviews of provision
Areas for Improvement
- Writing foundations not secure enough - letter formation, spelling and punctuation errors not routinely identified and corrected -
- Some wider curriculum subjects lack clear identification of precise knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and when -
- Staff need more expertise to develop pupils' foundational writing knowledge across the curriculum
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created an open, positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Work experience opportunities tailored to personal interests, visits and enrichment activities to explore talents and interests, growing and harvesting food
Grace Garden School is an independent special school for pupils aged 7-16 with complex needs. For many pupils who have had negative experiences of education, attending this school proves to be life-changing through its caring, supportive approach and 'hand, head, heart' philosophy.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
13 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Grace Garden School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 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 counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
74%
Available places
37 pupils
50 places
13 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Bristol
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bristol
Across Bristol, City of council
Places available
4,580
Applications
4,426
Got 1st preference
84.0%
Got preferred school
96.7%
All secondary applications across Bristol, City of council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
37
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Grace Garden School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
37
Total Pupils
31
Boys
6
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Grace Garden School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Grace Garden School
What are GCSE results like at Grace Garden School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Grace Garden School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Grace Garden School's Ofsted rating?
Grace Garden School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025.
Does Grace Garden School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in June 2025, Grace Garden School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Grace Garden School?
Grace Garden School has around 37 pupils on roll.
Does Grace Garden School have specialist SEN provision?
Grace Garden School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
How do I apply to Grace Garden School?
Grace Garden School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Grace Garden School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 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 Grace Garden School?
Grace Garden School is at Canford Lane, Bristol, Bristol, BS9 3PE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)