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Downend School

Secondary · Bristol · BS16 6XA

Data updated

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No current grade

Ungraded inspection: no current grade

Ofsted's most recent visit was an ungraded inspection; its outcome was “Standards maintained”. Since September 2024 these outcomes no longer confirm a named grade. No graded inspection appears in Ofsted's records for this school since 2015 either, so SchoolFacts shows no grade rather than guessing. Any earlier grade is on the school's Ofsted report page.

Inspected 23 October 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,415 pupils · 99% of 1,425 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
11.3% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
8.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
8.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.downend.com/
URN
139345

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 276 families named it first for 229 Year 7 places, 1.21 first choices per place. We hold 3 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2024 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 8.1% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.21 first-choice applications per place

229 places offered · 276 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

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

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Cutoff by admission criterion (2026 entry)

Living within the consortium area
0.859 miles

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

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

Attainment 8 score
51
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
75.5%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
53.6%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.6
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-) C+
31.8
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school51
Median of its 12 closest peers52.8
South Gloucestershire average45.7
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Poynton High SchoolStockport · 129 miles awayGood53
Simon Balle All-Through SchoolHertford · 106 miles awayOutstanding55.4
Tomlinscote SchoolCamberley · 77 miles awayOutstanding53.4
Bridgewater High SchoolWarrington · 129 miles awayGood51.8
Cams Hill SchoolFareham · 73 miles awayGood52.5
Mayflower High SchoolBillericay · 126 miles awayExpected standard47.6
Ponteland High SchoolPonteland · 247 miles awayGood53
Hardenhuish SchoolChippenham · 16 miles awayGood47.5
Hayesfield Girls SchoolBath · 10 miles awayGood57
St Nicholas Catholic High SchoolNorthwich · 121 miles awayGood50.8
Chosen Hill SchoolGloucester · 30 miles awayGood48.6
Redland Green SchoolBristol · 5 miles awayGood59

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 79% (South Gloucestershire 74%, England 59%) · Any other White background 5% (South Gloucestershire 6%, England 7%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 3% (South Gloucestershire 2%, England 2%) · Asian Chinese 2% (South Gloucestershire 2%, England 1%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (South Gloucestershire 2%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 2% (South Gloucestershire 2%, England 4%) · Black African 2% (South Gloucestershire 4%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (South Gloucestershire 1%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 1% (South Gloucestershire 2%, England 3%) · Asian Pakistani 1% (South Gloucestershire 1%, England 5%) · other groups together 2%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
8.1%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
20.8%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

16.66 suspensions per 100 pupils and 2 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · South Gloucestershire: 25.00 suspensions and 0.13 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
19.3
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 6% moved to another state school · 3% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

77% of teachers took sickness absence, 8.8 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £52,443; 9.8% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£6,541
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 76% (77%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 8% (6%) · supplies and services 11% (11%) · educational supplies 9% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (1%) · catering 1% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £0; in-year balance -£1,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
96%
Continuing in education
87%
Apprenticeship
6%
Employment
2%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
51%
Apprenticeship
10%
Employment
31%
Any sustained destination
92%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
10/10among the least deprived tenth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
9/10among the least deprived fifth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher37.1%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications15.7%18.1%
In managerial or professional work41%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways13%18.1%
Residents in very good health47.5%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier81.6%62.3%
Social housing7.1%17.1%
Privately rented11.3%20.5%
Detached houses12%22.9%
Flats22%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms28.1%21.1%
Households with no car or van15.7%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01014898 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£385,000464 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£320,000–£471,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (88)£519,000
Semi-detached (206)£390,000
Terraced (144)£340,000
Flat (26)£180,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
2an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
11an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
4an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools