St Bartholomew's School, Newbury

Ofsted's report card from its 20 January 2026 inspection grades St Bartholomew's School on 7 areas: 3 strong standard and 4 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Inclusion is at the heart of St Bartholomew's school."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders are ambitious for pupils to succeed."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have developed a well-considered and ambitious personal development programme."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils learn the curriculum well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders promote high attendance across the school."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed a well structured and sequenced curriculum across the school."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear understanding of the post-16 provision."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teachers check pupils' understanding in all subjects so that it informs subsequent teaching and ensures that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well"; "Leaders should continue to ensure that their strategies to improve attendance support pupils to attend regularly, including those who are disadvantaged".

In 2026, pupils at St Bartholomew's School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 57.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 49.3 in West Berkshire and 47 across England.

67% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 50% in West Berkshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 56.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.37: pupils made 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 38.5, against 60 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 21.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 28 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 275 families put St Bartholomew's School as their first choice and 497 named it as one of their preferences, for 265 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 15 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Bartholomew's School are Park House School (1 mile, Attainment 8 50.5); Trinity School (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.2); The Clere School (3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.8); and Kennet School (3.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48).

St Bartholomew's School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

342 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Bartholomew's School (as of April 2026): 92% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 56% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (56%).

Of the 273 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 19% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 326 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 49% went on to university or other higher education, 5% to apprenticeships and 33% into work. 28% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

11.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 333 pupils (17.5%) received SEN support and 58 (3%) 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 autism.

The nearest railway station is Newbury Rail Station, about 850 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Buckingham Road (opposite), 100 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Bartholomew's School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 254 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Berkshire (26), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Bartholomew's School issued 150 suspensions, 7.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Bartholomew's School are St John the Evangelist CofE Infant and Nursery School (0.3 miles), St Nicolas C.E. Junior School (0.4 miles), John Rankin Junior School (0.4 miles) and John Rankin Infant and Nursery School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.