Churchill Academy & Sixth Form

Churchill Academy & Sixth Form is a large 11–18 academy converter that has joined the Lighthouse Schools Partnership Multi-Academy Trust since its previous inspection. Inspectors judged the school good in all key areas, including sixth-form provision, with safeguarding effective. The school has high expectations, pupils achieve well and are prepared for next steps, behaviour has improved, and pupils, staff and parents generally agree that pupils are safe. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, teaching is typically strong, reading is supported well, and pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, leadership opportunities and careers guidance. The main concerns relate to consistency for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Support is not always precise enough, and some of these pupils are absent too often or do not get effective help to improve their behaviour, which limits their learning and wider experience. The school also does not always communicate well enough with parents and pupils about actions taken or changes made, including around bullying, which can reduce confidence. Trust leaders and governors understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are providing support, but work to prioritise SEND and disadvantaged pupils is at an early stage. Published sixth-form data does not yet reflect the deep knowledge current students demonstrate.

Strengths

• High expectations support pupils to gain qualifications that prepare them well for their next stages.
• Most pupils behave well and work hard, and social times are typically calm and harmonious.
• Pupils, staff and parents agree that behaviour has improved and pupils feel safe.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious and identifies what pupils should learn at each stage.
• Teachers use strong subject knowledge and whole-school teaching approaches effectively.
• Pupils read often enough to maintain fluency, and staff identify and support those who need to catch up.
• Attendance has improved and staff have worked to reduce barriers to regular attendance.
• Personal development is comprehensive, including PSHE, online safety and careers guidance.
• Pupil leadership and the wide range of clubs make a tangible contribution to school life.
• Sixth-form students follow an academically rigorous curriculum and move on to suitable destinations.
• Governance and trust leaders understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses and provide support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently adapted well enough for pupils with SEND.
• Some pupils with SEND or who are disadvantaged continue to be absent too often.
• Some pupils who struggle to meet raised behaviour expectations do not receive effective support to make sustained changes.
• Support for learning, behaviour and attendance is not consistently precise enough for some pupils.
• The school does not always communicate well enough with parents and pupils about actions taken or changes made.
• Some pupils and parents lack confidence in the school’s decisions and actions, including about bullying.
• Work to prioritise SEND and disadvantaged pupils is at an early stage and has not had sustained impact.
• Published sixth-form outcomes do not yet reflect the deep knowledge current students demonstrate.

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 Churchill Academy & Sixth Form attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.8% 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, 6.5% of pupils at Churchill Academy & Sixth Form were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Churchill Academy & Sixth Form had 17.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.5% 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, 5.0% of pupils at Churchill Academy & Sixth Form 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 Churchill Academy & Sixth Form received £7,432 and spent £7,224 for each of its 1,547 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,130,000 (£731 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 North Somerset · North Somerset local authority: places and applications

Churchill Academy & Sixth Form is part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• Churchill Church of England Primary School Bristol
• St Andrew's CofE Primary School Bristol
• Burrington Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Wrington Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Yatton Infant School Bristol
• Yatton Church of England Junior School Bristol
• Blagdon Primary School Bristol
• Ubley Church of England Primary School Bristol
• West Leigh Infant School Bristol
• Backwell Church of England Junior School Bristol

What is Churchill Academy & Sixth Form's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Churchill Academy & Sixth Form is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Churchill Academy & Sixth Form last inspected by Ofsted?

Churchill Academy & Sixth Form was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Churchill Academy & Sixth Form have?

Churchill Academy & Sixth Form has 1,488 pupils on roll.

What age range does Churchill Academy & Sixth Form cover?

Churchill Academy & Sixth Form for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Churchill Academy & Sixth Form's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.0, and 55% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Churchill Academy & Sixth Form?

Churchill Academy & Sixth Form is at Churchill Green, Churchill, Winscombe, Avon, BS25 5QN.