SchoolFacts

Cotham School

Secondary · Bristol · BS6 6DT

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 18 October 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,654 pupils · 100% of 1,642 capacity

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
39.5% of pupils
English as additional language
49.8% of pupils
SEN support
19.4% of pupils
EHC plan
1.3% of pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.cotham.bristol.sch.uk/
URN
137440

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.65 first-choice applications per place

247 places offered · 160 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE. A ratio above 1.00 means more families named this school first choice than there were places.

GCSE results (2024/2025)

231 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
51.8
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
71.9%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
54.1%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.8
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) B-
35.1
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025. “Suppressed” means the DfE withholds figures for very small cohorts.

Attendance (2025/26 autumn term)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
8.3%
England 6.5%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
24.2%
England 18.1%

Autumn-term absence, DfE pupil absence data. Lower is better.

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
18.6
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

88% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 5% moved to another state school · 7% left the state-funded sector

School Workforce Census, DfE. The ratio counts full-time-equivalent qualified teachers; retention follows teachers in post one November to the next. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Spending per pupil

This school£7,817
Typical secondary school£7,799

Total expenditure ÷ pupils, academy finance return (DfE Schools Financial Benchmarking, latest year). Higher spending is not a measure of quality. It often reflects greater pupil need or a smaller school. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
94%
Continuing in education
93%
Apprenticeship
1%
Employment

suppressed (small cohort)

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
43%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
26%
Any sustained destination
78%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, latest DfE destination measures release.

Inspection history since 2015

Ofsted management information. Ungraded and monitoring visits do not award a new grade. How the two inspection systems work.

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