Gordano School

Gordano School is rated as good overall, demonstrating solid educational performance across various domains including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. The school has made concerted efforts to improve support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ensuring a broad curriculum and a range of enrichment opportunities for all students. As this is the school's first inspection since it was last rated outstanding twelve years ago, the context of previous exemptions from routine inspections is significant in understanding its current standing.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a broad curriculum including languages and creative arts.
• Strong support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Pupils exhibit good behaviour and positive relationships with staff.
• Effective strategies in place for reading and personal development.
• Well-structured careers curriculum providing students with guidance for future paths.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent adaptation of the curriculum for pupils with SEND in some subjects.
• Some pupils feel the behaviour policy is applied unfairly.

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 Gordano School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.6% 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, 4.1% of pupils at Gordano 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 Gordano School had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.5% 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, 8.3% of pupils at Gordano School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% 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 Gordano School received £7,492 and spent £7,220 for each of its 2,097 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £896,000 (£427 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, income was £6,883 and spending £6,752 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 Bristol · North Somerset local authority: places and applications

Gordano School is part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• St Peter's Church of England Primary School Portishead
• High Down Junior School Bristol
• High Down Infant School Portishead
• Portishead Primary School Portishead
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury Bristol
• Golden Valley Primary School Bristol
• Grove Junior School Nailsea
• Hannah More Infant School Nailsea
• West Leigh Infant School Bristol
• Backwell School Bristol

What is Gordano School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Gordano School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Gordano School last inspected by Ofsted?

Gordano School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Gordano School have?

Gordano School has 2,029 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gordano School cover?

Gordano School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Gordano School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.1, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Gordano School?

Gordano School is at St Mary's Road, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 7QR.