Downend School

School overview

Downend School is a secondary school serving Bristol, South Gloucestershire, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. It has 1,429 pupils aged 11 to 18 on roll. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 51.0 — above the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 2.2 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 25% of secondary schools nationally.

54% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 76% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Downend School is oversubscribed: about 8 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, with 276 first choices for 229 places. After Year 11, 96% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 9.3%. There are about 19.1 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 11% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. Downend School does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.