Hillcrest Primary School, Bristol

Ofsted's report card from its 24 February 2026 inspection grades Hillcrest Primary School on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "On the whole, pupils make suitable progress through the curriculum."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Most pupils attend well."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The curriculum is broad, balanced and ambitious."

Early years - Expected standard. "Staff ensure that children receive a nurturing start to their education."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have a wholly inclusive vision and high expectations."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have an inclusive vision that is embedded across the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school's personal development and wellbeing programme is woven into school life."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teachers have the right expertise and strategies to enable pupils to develop the grammatical and transcriptional knowledge that they need to write fluently and well"; "Leaders should ensure that information from checks on pupils' learning is used to inform teaching and curriculum design in order to further strengthen pupils' knowledge".

In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at Hillcrest Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 72% in Bristol, City of; and 77% and 75% across England.

Results were similar in 2024 (87% in reading, 82% in maths).

For September 2026 entry, 76 families put Hillcrest Primary School as their first choice and 164 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 18 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to Hillcrest Primary School are Knowle Park Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 81% reading, 76% maths); Victoria Park Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 71% reading, 75% maths); St Mary Redcliffe Church of England Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 61% reading, 59% maths); and Oasis Academy Marksbury Road (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 78% reading, 83% maths).

Hillcrest Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.

164 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hillcrest Primary School (as of April 2026): 96% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 74% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (74%).

7.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Bristol Temple Meads Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brecknock Road (n-bound), 160 metres away.

In 2024/25, Hillcrest Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Hillcrest Primary School are Prospect Education Trust (0.6 miles), Oasis Academy Temple Quarter (0.7 miles), Oasis Academy Daventry Road (0.8 miles) and St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School (0.9 miles).