What the school inspection says
“Pupils speak positively about their school and are proud of it. They enjoy learning across the range of subjects and feel that staff support them well. Learning is structured in ways to help pupils know and remember more. As a result, pupils are starting to make stronger progress than was the case in the past. Pupils describe the school as a very easy place in which to make friends. They value their relationships with others, and this is supported by the school’s tutoring programme … There are a wide range of activities available beyond the classroom that include clubs, recreational activities and trips … Senior leaders keep the curriculum under constant review. Teachers have strong subject knowledge, which leaders continue to develop.”
*Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgment in inspections of state-funded schools. A five-point grading scale, including a new “exceptional” grade was introduced in November 2025.
Eight miles south of Bristol, the school has a 30-acre site in the countryside overlooking Chew Valley Lake with large playing fields and tennis courts.
The school’s Challenge prospectus matches co-curricular activities to all subjects — writing club and theatre trips for English; reptile handling and feeding club, and a trip to the nuclear research plant, Cern, in Geneva for science.
Since 2003 it has been a specialist school in the performing arts, offering a wealth of music and drama lessons and productions.Outdoor education is strong and there is an annual opportunity to take part in the Ten Tors challenge on Dartmoor.
The ornithologist and author Mya-Rose Craig, who wrote Birdgirl (2022) and featured in The Sunday Times Young Power List 2024
, is a former pupil.
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