Orchard School Bristol
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Orchard School Bristol is a sponsored academy in Bristol for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 942 pupils and room for 1,080. About 44 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 37 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it.
Filton Road, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 0XZ0117 377 2000orchard.amplifyeducation.co.ukMs Melanie Sweet headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
177 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Bristol, City of | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 177 | 167 | 172 | 153 | 123 | 135 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 44.7 | 39.6 | 39.8 | 43.9 | 40.4 | 41.0 | 47.1 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.31 | -0.38 | -0.12 | -0.01 | -0.42 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 49% | 34% | 30% | 37% | 35% | 26% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 65% | 53% | 53% | 59% | 47% | 48% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.10 | 3.63 | 3.72 | 3.90 | 3.56 | 3.64 | 4.15 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 54% | 69% | 72% | 43% | 24% | 50% | 35% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 34.7 | 33.2 | 31.7 | 40.6 | 34.9 | 35.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 52.5 | 45.0 | 46.0 | 47.2 | 44.2 | 45.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 22.0 | 27.6 | 29.7 | 22.3 | 22.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 57.9 | 55.8 | 65.6 | 60.8 | 55.0 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 17 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Classical Civilisation (9% here, 58% across England), Religious Studies (37% here, 60% across England), Combined Science (22% here, 36% across England), History (38% here, 52% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 177 | 18% | 51% | 68% | 53% | 1,613 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 177 | 19% | 53% | 69% | 54% | 1,563 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 174 | 18% | 59% | 74% | 58% | 1,309 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 111 | 2% | 22% | 42% | 36% | 2,514 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 93 | 17% | 46% | 58% | 51% | 1,661 of 3,116 |
| History | 77 | 16% | 38% | 49% | 52% | 2,383 of 3,126 |
| Art and Design | 68 | 24% | 74% | 90% | 58% | 716 of 2,818 |
| Biology | 64 | 34% | 77% | 92% | 82% | 1,790 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 63 | 37% | 75% | 95% | 81% | 1,790 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 63 | 32% | 81% | 95% | 82% | 1,577 of 2,546 |
| Spanish | 58 | 21% | 64% | 69% | 54% | 673 of 1,941 |
| French | 36 | 19% | 58% | 67% | 60% | 1,142 of 1,974 |
| Religious Studies | 30 | 10% | 37% | 60% | 60% | 1,635 of 1,825 |
| Classical Civilisation | 22 | 5% | 9% | 27% | 58% | 41 of 45 |
| Other Modern Languages | 15 | 40% | 53% | 53% | 49% | – |
| Drama | 11 | 18% | 46% | 55% | 60% | – |
| Music | 9 | 22% | 44% | 44% | 61% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
The school is full, with 31 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 7% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
How places were given out for September 2026.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (122), Autistic spectrum disorder (43), Specific learning difficulty (35), language and communications needs (29), Moderate learning difficulty (22), Other difficulty or disability (10).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 942 | 947 | 907 | 905 | 897 | 896 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 43% | 44% | 45% | 42% | 40% | 39% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 33% | 29% | 27% | 26% | 24% | 25% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 24% | 26% | 24% | 13% | 13% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 10.4% | 9.9% | 10.6% | 10.3% | 7.1% | 5.9% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.4% | 6.9% | 7.4% | 6.9% | 3.5% | 3.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 2.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 26.7% | 29.2% | 30.8% | 32.0% | 22.5% | 16.7% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 45.4 | 29.1 | 23.4 | 8.6 | 7.9 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 172 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 76%, compared with 96% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 87% | 90% | 84% | 91% |
| Education | 83% | 80% | 69% | 88% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 2% | 6% | 1% |
| Work | 3% | 8% | 9% | 2% |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 6% | 12% | 8% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Academy | Free school | 1.1 miles | 1,062 | Good 2024 | 61 | Compare |
| Bristol Free School | Free school | 1.4 miles | 1,304 | Report card 2026 | 89 | Compare |
| Abbeywood Community School | Academy | 1.5 miles | 1,294 | No overall grade 2025 | 60 | Compare |
| Fairfield High School | Academy | 1.7 miles | 1,057 | Good 2023 | 42 | Compare |
| Redland Green School | Academy | 2.1 miles | 1,652 | Good 2023 | 85 | Compare |
| E-Act Montpelier High School | Academy | 2.2 miles | 859 | Inadequate 2022 | 62 | Compare |
| Bristol Metropolitan Academy | Academy | 2.2 miles | 1,103 | Report card 2026 | 50 | Compare |
| South Gloucestershire Hospital Home Teaching Service | Miscellaneous | 2.2 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Orchard School Bristol with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Orchard School Bristol, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Metropolitan Academy | Academy | 2.2 miles | 1,103 | Report card 2026 | 50 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 37 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 37% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 28 to 47. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.12 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 177 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 0% | no data | – | |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.15 | DfE progress measure; 177 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.11 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.08 | 2024/25; 991 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.08 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 177 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | below | -0.05 | 172 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Orchard School Bristol a good school?
It is about average. Orchard School Bristol scores 37 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 28 to 47, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
How good are Orchard School Bristol's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 49% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 44.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Orchard School Bristol have?
942 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,080 places, so it is 87% full.
Is Orchard School Bristol oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 31 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Orchard School Bristol?
Pupils were in school 89.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 27% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Orchard School Bristol?
The average class had 27.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 23% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Filton Road, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 0XZ
- Telephone
- 0117 377 2000
- Website
- www.orchard.amplifyeducation.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Ms Melanie Sweet
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Amplify Education (21 schools)
- Local authority
- Bristol, City of
- Ward
- Horfield
- Constituency
- Bristol North West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2012 (new provision)
- URN
- 138448 · LAESTAB 8014003 · UKPRN 10038411
- Formerly
- Orchard School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Bristol, City of council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.