School profile

Downend School

Secondary · Academy converter · Bristol, BS16 6XA

Good

Map showing Downend School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#1,185 of 3,312

Better than 64% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

A-level 2024/25

#1,555 of 2,536

Worse than 61% of schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Downend School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 23 Sept 2014

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Good

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages11 to 18
Pupils1,415 of 1,425 places
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMrs Rachael Corns
TrustPATHWAY TRUST
Local authoritySouth Gloucestershire
Opened01 Mar 2013
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 139345.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolSouth GloucestershireEngland
Attainment 8 score48.742.946.2
Grade 4 or above in English and maths73.2%61%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths47.7%40.8%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths15.1%10.6%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths66.5%54.2%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4239--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

A-level results

2024/25

Results for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

MeasureThis schoolSouth GloucestershireEngland
Average points per A-level entry31.8430.7335
Average A-level gradeC+--
Average points, best three A-levels35.1132.1735.78
Average grade, best three A-levelsB---
AAB or better21.3%14.8%17.5%
A-level progress score-0.23--
A-level progressBelow average--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study102--
Average applied general gradeDist---

Source: DfE, 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25, published 23 Apr 2026.

Pupils

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils1,415
Girls670
Boys745
Eligible for free school meals10.3%
First language not English8.6%
SEN support130
EHC plan60
Average class size23.8

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Pupils ethnicity

White British
79.2%
Other White
4.9%
White and Black Caribbean
2.9%
Other mixed
2%
Chinese
2%
Indian
1.7%
African
1.7%
White and Asian
1.4%
Other Asian
1.1%
Pakistani
0.8%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed. Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means missing 50% or more.

MeasureThis schoolSouth GloucestershireEngland
Overall absence8.1%8.7%8%
Persistent absence20.8%22.8%21.6%
Severe absence3.9%4.6%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)229
Applications (Year 7)556
First preference applications (Year 7)276
First preference offers (Year 7)225
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)47

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Capacity

2024/25
MeasureThis school
School places1,425
Pupils on roll1,424
Unfilled places0.1%
Sixth form places210
Sixth form pupils on roll178

Source: DfE, School capacity, Academic year 2024/25, published 19 Mar 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher19.3
Pupils per adult13.8
Teachers (FTE)73.4
Teaching assistants (FTE)17.4
Support staff (FTE)39
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2575
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2567.8
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/254.6
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/252.6

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25
MeasureThis school
Suspension rate16.7%
Pupils with one or more suspensions5.5%
Permanent exclusion rate0.1%
Permanent exclusions2

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destination95.2%
Staying in education88.6%
Further education39.3%
School sixth form31.9%
Sixth form college17.5%
Apprenticeship3.5%
Employment3.1%
Not sustained2.6%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Destinations after A-levels

2023/24

Where students went after 16 to 18 study, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destination88.5%
Higher education42.3%
Employment33.3%
Apprenticeship9%
Not sustained6.4%
Further education1.3%

Source: DfE, 16 to 18 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Downend School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miPrimaryStanbridge Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.2 miPrimarySt Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Requires improvement
0.3 miPrimaryBarley Close Community Primary SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
0.5 miPrimaryEmersons Green Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.6 miPrimaryBromley Heath Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryBromley Heath Infant SchoolCommunity school
Outstanding
0.6 miPrimaryBlackhorse Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryChrist Church, Church of England Infant School, DownendVoluntary controlled school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryMangotsfield Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.9 miPrimaryChrist Church, Church of England Junior School, DownendVoluntary controlled school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Downend School

What is Downend School's Ofsted rating?

Downend School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 23 Sept 2014.

How does Downend School rank in England?

Downend School ranks 1,185 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 64% of schools) and 1,555 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (worse than 61% of schools).

How many pupils attend Downend School?

Downend School has 1,415 pupils aged 11 to 18, with capacity for 1,425.

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.