St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School

St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School is maintaining the good standards identified in its previous inspection. The school provides a welcoming environment where pupils feel valued and safe. High expectations for both academic achievement and behavior are evident, with numerous opportunities for personal development through extracurricular activities. Pupils generally participate positively in school life, and there is a strong focus on preparing them for future educational and career opportunities.

Strengths

• Pupils feel welcomed and included regardless of their background.
• High expectations for pupil achievement and conduct.
• Effective personal development programs promoting safety and healthy relationships.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge logically.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Consistent behavior management resulting in a calm school environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance rates for disadvantaged pupils remain a concern.
• Teaching activities are occasionally mismatched to pupils' existing knowledge.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School attended 90.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 8.6% of pupils at St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 18.9% of pupils at St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School received £8,303 and spent £8,500 for each of its 754 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £304,000 (£403 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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• Secondary Schools

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What is St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School have?

St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School has 753 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School cover?

St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.5, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School?

St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School is at Fossedale Avenue, Whitchurch, Bristol, BS14 9LS.