School Chooser

North Star 82°

Special · ages 5-11MixedAcademy54 pupilsBristolBristol, City of
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, September 2023
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance82.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families85%Far more than most schools
Places23 spare54 pupils, 77 places
Pupils per teacher3.9School workforce census

North Star 82° is a special academy in Bristol for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 54 pupils and room for 77. About 85 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Rectory Gardens, Henbury, Bristol, BS10 7AH0117 377 2175ns82.northstar-academy.co.ukMr Phelim Byrne executive principalAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 20 September 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

19 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score92.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†Bristol, City ofEngland
Pupils tested192515191814
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0101.0106.097.096.098.0105.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score92.091.098.092.097.092.0103.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score90.092.0105.094.093.093.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard16%4%27%16%17%21%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard16%0%0%0%17%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%7%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-9.2-7.6-6.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-11.7-7.5-11.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Woodstock School, the school this one replaced in January 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Bristol, City of council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll54Census January 2026
Places7770% full
Pupils from low-income families85%85% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support4%2 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan96%52 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)76%£58,900 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls49 / 5
White British pupils78%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Bristol, City of with social, emotional and mental health provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (40), language and communications needs (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Severe learning difficulty (2), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll546169604857
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals85%80%81%72%79%68%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%3%0%0%2%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support2%1%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans98%99%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 82.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance82.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school60.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils168.92024/25, 3 permanent exclusions
Missed without permission10.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence17.9%20.8%18.2%15.7%13.0%13.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.7%10.3%12.1%9.6%8.5%7.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence10.2%10.4%6.1%6.1%4.4%5.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence60.3%57.8%49.3%41.5%46.7%37.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate168.9115.968.327.122.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions31000

† These attendance figures are for Woodstock School, the school this one replaced in January 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers14.0full-time equivalent, 16 people
Pupils per teacher3.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants20.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£44,649
Teachers who left in the year47%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher12.82024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£46,820England £30,720. Total £2.9m
Income per pupil£49,770England £33,526. Total £3.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£17,590England £11,966
Money in reserve38%A lot put by: £1.2m, £19k per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£180kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£46,820spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m37612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate137 per 1,000 people51% higher than the England average
Nearest bus stop100 mAvonmouth Way, 10 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Blaise High SchoolAcademy210 m914Good 202341Compare
Henbury Court Primary AcademyAcademy320 m294No overall grade 20245Compare
Blaise Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil430 m441No overall grade 202540Compare
Grace Garden SchoolIndependent0.7 miles37Not inspectedCompare
Bristol Free SchoolFree school0.8 miles1,304Report card 202689Compare
Oasis Academy Bank LeazeAcademy0.9 miles237Report card 202575Compare
Brentry Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles203Report card 202630Compare
Elmfield School for Deaf ChildrenCouncil1.0 miles53Good 2023Compare

Questions parents ask

Is North Star 82° a good school?

North Star 82° doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in September 2023.

What is North Star 82°'s Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated North Star 82° good at its last full inspection on 20 September 2023.

How good are North Star 82°'s SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does North Star 82° have?

54 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 77 places, so it is 70% full.

What is attendance like at North Star 82°?

Pupils were in school 82.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 60% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does North Star 82° have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Rectory Gardens, Henbury, Bristol, BS10 7AH
Telephone
0117 377 2175
Website
ns82.northstar-academy.co.uk
Executive Principal
Mr Phelim Byrne
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
North Star Academy Trust (4 schools)
Local authority
Bristol, City of
Ward
Henbury and Brentry
Constituency
Bristol North West
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2021 (academy converter)
URN
148296 · LAESTAB 8017025 · UKPRN 10087317
Formerly
Woodstock School

Where these figures come from