King's Oak Academy

King’s Oak Academy is an all-through academy in the Cabot Learning Federation, and this inspection found strong provision across the school. Pupils are safe, happy and behave well; relationships are warm and the atmosphere is calm. Personal development and leadership and management are particular strengths, with a broad and inclusive programme preparing pupils for life beyond school, high-quality careers information from an early age, and rapid improvements led by leaders with strong trust support. Safeguarding is effective. Teaching supports pupils to learn well, including through frequent revisiting of important content and deliberate vocabulary building. The early years curriculum gives children a strong start, especially in phonics and reading, and pupils who need extra reading help receive precise support. Attendance has improved and barriers to attending have been successfully removed for many pupils. However, some published outcomes in 2024 were below national averages, and improvement work in some curriculum areas is recent, so it has not yet had time to deliver sustained impact. Pupils’ achievement is not yet consistently high at the end of key stage 4, and a small number of pupils remain persistently absent, missing out on learning and the wider personal development offer. The school and trust are therefore asked to ensure recent improvements translate into consistently strong standards and better preparation for pupils’ next steps.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupils’ academic achievement and personal development
• Warm relationships and a calm, safe, happy school environment
• Rich experiences for all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Strong pastoral support and a central role in the local community
• Teaching that revisits important learning and broadens pupils’ vocabulary
• A broad, ambitious curriculum with improved take-up of EBacc subjects
• A strong early years start, particularly in phonics and early reading
• Effective support for pupils who struggle with reading, fostering a love of reading
• Good behaviour and persistence with learning, with rare disruption
• Improved attendance after removing barriers for many pupils
• Comprehensive and inclusive personal, social and health education
• Pupils who are respectful, tolerant and able to explain their views
• High-quality careers information from an early age, with extra support for vulnerable pupils
• Rapid and significant leadership improvements, well supported by the trust
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Some published outcomes in 2024 were below national averages
• Some curriculum improvements are recent and have not yet had sustained impact
• Pupils’ achievement is not consistently high at the end of key stage 4
• A small number of pupils remain persistently absent and miss learning and wider development
• Improvement work has not yet fully translated into consistently strong standards

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 King's Oak Academy attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.9% 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, 7.3% of pupils at King's Oak Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 King's Oak Academy had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.2% 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, 20.4% of pupils at King's Oak Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.2% 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 King's Oak Academy received £7,597 and spent £8,114 for each of its 995 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £581,000 (£584 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Cabot Learning Federation, income was £8,647 and spending £8,763 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 · South Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

King's Oak Academy is part of Cabot Learning Federation, which runs 34 schools. The nearest others:

• Digitech Studio School Bristol
• John Cabot Academy Bristol
• Minerva Primary Academy Bristol
• Bristol Brunel Academy Bristol
• Hanham Woods Academy Bristol
• Summerhill Academy Bristol
• Frome Vale Academy Bristol
• Bristol Metropolitan Academy Bristol
• Begbrook Primary Academy Bristol
• Wicklea Academy Bristol

What is King's Oak Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for King's Oak Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was King's Oak Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

King's Oak Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does King's Oak Academy have?

King's Oak Academy has 992 pupils on roll.

What age range does King's Oak Academy cover?

King's Oak Academy for pupils aged 4 to 19.

What are King's Oak Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.2, and 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are King's Oak Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is King's Oak Academy?

King's Oak Academy is at Brook Road, Kingswood, Bristol, Gloucestershire, BS15 4JT.