Bishop Justus CofE School

Bishop Justus CofE School has faced significant challenges since its previous inspection and, with support from the Aquinas Church of England Education Trust, is working to raise standards. However, expectations of what pupils can achieve have been too low, and published outcomes are significantly below national averages. Most areas of provision still need improvement, while the sixth form is a clear strength and safeguarding is effective. The school has introduced broader, more ambitious curriculums with clearer sequencing, and staff generally have strong subject expertise and use routines such as ‘do now’ tasks to revisit learning. However, many curriculums are new and not yet fully embedded, pupils have gaps in knowledge and struggle to recall learning, and teachers do not always check understanding deeply enough before moving on. Pupils with SEND are identified and supported, but some still do not achieve as well as they could. Behaviour has improved in classrooms and attendance is improving, with suspensions reducing slightly, but unstructured times remain a concern: some pupils are boisterous, defy rules or are rude to staff, and younger pupils can feel unsafe in corridors. Personal development includes a well-planned PSHE curriculum and strong careers education, but enrichment and extracurricular opportunities are not broad or rich enough. Leadership and trust oversight are committed to improvement, but leaders do not always have an accurate picture of weaker practice, so actions do not always address the right issues. Staff value trust training and the school’s attention to workload and well-being, but would like more support in managing pupils’ behaviour. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• The sixth form is a strength of the school.
• Sixth-form students have positive attitudes to their studies and learn well.
• Students feel supported by their teachers.
• The curriculum has been made broader and more ambitious in several subjects.
• Curriculum planning clarifies key knowledge and the order in which it should be learned.
• Staff generally have strong subject expertise and engage pupils in learning.
• Whole-school strategies such as ‘do now’ tasks help revisit prior learning.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Pupils access a well-planned PSHE curriculum covering tolerance, respect, equality, online safety and relationships.
• There is a rich careers programme that helps pupils make informed choices.
• Sixth-form students receive effective support into employment or higher education.
• Attendance is improving and suspensions have reduced slightly.
• Staff value the training and development provided by the trust and the school’s concern for workload and well-being.
• The trust and school are united in their commitment to further improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• Expectations of pupils’ achievement have been too low.
• Published outcomes show pupils’ achievement is significantly below national averages.
• Many new curriculums are at an early stage and not yet fully embedded.
• Pupils have gaps in learning and struggle to recall knowledge over time.
• Teachers do not always check pupils’ understanding carefully enough.
• Some staff move on to new learning before pupils are ready.
• Some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.
• Pupils’ behaviour during unstructured times is not calm or respectful enough.
• Some pupils defy school rules and can be rude to staff.
• Younger pupils can sometimes feel unsafe in corridors.
• Suspensions remain high, although they have reduced slightly.
• Expectations about the amount of work pupils complete are not consistently high across staff.
• Extracurricular opportunities are not broad and rich enough for all pupils.
• Pupils are not always supported to become active citizens or develop talents and interests.
• Leaders at all levels sometimes lack oversight of key aspects of the school’s work.
• School and trust oversight does not always precisely identify weaker practice.
• Staff would like to feel more supported by leaders in managing pupils’ behaviour.

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 Bishop Justus CofE School attended 90.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 31.2% 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, 16.7% of pupils at Bishop Justus CofE School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 Bishop Justus CofE School had 13.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.4% 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, 16.4% of pupils at Bishop Justus CofE School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.9% 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 2024–25 Bishop Justus CofE School received £10,153 and spent £10,146 for each of its 1,173 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £962,000 (£820 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Aquinas Church of England Education Trust Limited, income was £7,918 and spending £7,979 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bromley · Bromley local authority: places and applications

Bishop Justus CofE School is part of Aquinas Church of England Education Trust Limited, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Trinity Church of England Primary School Bromley
• Keston Church of England Primary School Keston
• St George's, Bickley, Church of England Primary School Bromley
• St Mark's Church of England Primary School Bromley
• St Nicholas Church of England Primary Chislehurst
• Parish Church of England Primary School Bromley
• Cudham Church of England Primary School Westerham
• St John's Church of England Primary School London
• Bishop Ridley Church of England Primary School Welling
• Robertsbridge Community College Robertsbridge

What is Bishop Justus CofE School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishop Justus CofE School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Bishop Justus CofE School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bishop Justus CofE School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Bishop Justus CofE School have?

Bishop Justus CofE School has 1,016 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishop Justus CofE School cover?

Bishop Justus CofE School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Bishop Justus CofE School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.8, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Bishop Justus CofE School?

Bishop Justus CofE School is at Magpie Hall Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR2 8HZ.