St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Bristol
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Bristol. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 5th-highest of the 44 schools in Bristol with published results, and 679th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 116% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Bristol, City of (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School in detail
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School in its own words
In its own words: "Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life in all its fullness". (John 10:10). We believe that the "glory of God is a human being fully alive" (Irenaeus). Each member of our school community is created by God and our aim is to achieve our full potential."
From the headteacher's welcome: "St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School Sixth Form Centre is a specialist A Level centre, offering nearly 40 different options. We draw students from across Bristol and beyond with around two-thirds of our students joining us in Year 12 new to the school."
The school runs a breakfast club.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 4 November 2026, an open evening on Wednesday 4 November 2026 and an open evening on Thursday 5 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Bristol, City of
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 52.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46 in Bristol, City of; and 47 across England.
61% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Bristol, City of; and 47% in England.
That is down from 54.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.24: 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 39.7, against 56.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Business Studies.
Getting a place at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
For September 2026 entry, 277 families put St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School as their first choice and 620 named it as one of their preferences, for 207 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 79 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School are Oasis Academy Temple Quarter (0.2 miles); Bristol Cathedral Choir School (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 53.5); Oasis Academy Daventry Road (1.1 miles); and North Bristol Post 16 Centre (1.3 miles).
Oasis Academy Temple QuarterBristol Cathedral Choir SchoolOasis Academy Daventry RoadNorth Bristol Post 16 Centre
What parents say
251 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 85% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (94%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (85%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 216 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 90% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 19% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Of the 351 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 37% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 31% into work. 29% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bristol Temple Meads Rail Station, about 560 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Somerset Square (sw-bound), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1604 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Bristol, City of (417), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School issued 175 suspensions, 9.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School are St Mary Redcliffe Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles), Holy Cross RC Primary School (0.6 miles), Hannah More Primary School (0.6 miles) and Cathedral Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Mary Redcliffe Church of England Primary SchoolHoly Cross RC Primary SchoolHannah More Primary SchoolCathedral Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School excels at creating an inclusive, caring community where pupils from across the city thrive academically and personally. The school's ambitious 'Alive' curriculum is thoughtfully designed, and teachers use strong teaching strategies to help pupils learn well. With excellent support for vulnerable pupils, diverse enrichment activities, and clear pathways to further education and careers, the school prepares young people thoroughly for their futures.
Key Strengths
- Teachers use effective strategies like demonstration and questioning to help pupils remember and apply their learning well
- The school has an ambitious reading programme with a broad range of texts and carefully checks pupils' reading needs
- Excellent pastoral care and support for diverse pupils including those facing challenging circumstances, refugees, and those with SEND
- Clear guidance on careers and future pathways with strong outcomes to university and apprenticeships
- The 'Alive' values create a caring school community where pupils transition well and speak highly of their experience
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment information is not always used effectively to help pupils understand what they need to do next to improve their learning
- Strategies to adapt learning for pupils with SEND are not consistently embedded in lessons, slowing progress for some pupils
- Some staff have concerns about pupils moving around the school well, though most behaviour is appropriate
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school demonstrating a positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Wide range of enrichment activities designed to represent diverse cultures and interests, tutor reading programme, careers guidance and university/apprenticeship pathways
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is a large, diverse inner-city secondary school with a substantial sixth form that has been judged as Good across all key areas. The school was previously rated Outstanding in 2015 and continues to maintain high expectations for both academic and personal development.
About
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is a Church of England voluntary aided school situated in the district of Redcliffe, Bristol, England. It provides education for approximately 1,600 students aged 11 to 18.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
19.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
251 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from 0.39 to 0.24 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 54.4 to 52.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 57% to 61% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 52.6 | 61.1% |
| Disadvantaged(54) | - | 39.7 | 35.2% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(162) | - | 56.9 | 69.8% |
| Boys(114) | - | 51.7 | 60.5% |
| Girls(102) | - | 53.7 | 61.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(41) | - | 56.5 | 68.3% |
| Non mobile(214) | - | 53.0 | 61.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 216 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.06%
Exclusion rate
175
Suspensions
9.84%
Suspension rate
68 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,778 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
September Newsletter
2 Oct 2026
Attendance Update and the Studybugs App
17 Sep 2026
Great Results
20 Aug 2026
July End of Year Newsletter
22 Jul 2026
Information for the End of Term and Start of Next Term
20 Jul 2026
Welcome Evening Information for New Parents and Carers
25 Jun 2026
From St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
Term dates
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bristol, City of's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is in Bristol, City of; for families living there:
- Bristol, City of's school travel policy: Home to school travel policy
- How to apply: Apply online for home school travel support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 136
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 43
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 136 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 43 serious and 92 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
28 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
Your chances of a place at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
Will you get a place at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Bristol, City of, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bristol, City of got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
116%
Over capacity
1,770 pupils
1,530 places
240 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
274
SEN Support
57
EHC Plans
18.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,792
Total Pupils
870
Boys
922
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
127
Teachers
14.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,492
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,101
Per pupil
£8186k
Total funding
£272k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.2%
Overall absence
17.1%
Persistent absence
1,114
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
What are GCSE results like at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 52.6. 61% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is oversubscribed, Bristol, City of allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School was full in 2025, at 116% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
Classes at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School average 21.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School has around 1792 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
7.2% of sessions were missed at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School in 2024/25. 17.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
Apply through Bristol, City of's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 136 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 43 serious and 92 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 28 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 St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School?
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is at Somerset Square, Bristol, BS1 6RT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)