Ralph Allen School

Ralph Allen School maintains its status as a good school, demonstrating a strong commitment to high expectations for its pupils. The school's ethos fosters a pride among students, contributing to a positive learning environment where engagement in enrichment activities is encouraged. The leadership, under a new headteacher, has implemented focused support for pupils with additional needs, aiming to enhance their educational experience. Additionally, the curriculum is ambitious and well-structured but requires further refinement in aspects such as the wider reading program.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud of their school and its traditions.
• High expectations of pupils create a positive learning environment.
• Enrichment activities engage all students and foster community spirit.
• Teachers are passionate and knowledgeable about their subjects.
• Pupils receive effective support for their special educational needs.
• The school has a comprehensive careers program that prepares students well.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum planning for the wider reading curriculum lacks coherence.
• There is a need for clearer expectations regarding the development of reading skills.

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 Ralph Allen School attended 89.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.4% 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, 4.7% of pupils at Ralph Allen School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Ralph Allen School had 17.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.4% 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, 14.2% of pupils at Ralph Allen School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 pupils.

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 Ralph Allen School received £7,676 and spent £7,370 for each of its 1,383 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £406,000 (-£293 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Palladian Academy Trust, income was £6,949 and spending £6,535 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 Bath · Bath and North East Somerset local authority: places and applications

Ralph Allen School is part of Palladian Academy Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Combe Down CofE Primary School Bath
• Widcombe CofE Junior School Bath
• Widcombe Infant School Bath
• St Martin's Garden Primary School Bath
• Winsley CoE VC Primary School Bradford-On-Avon
• St Philip's CofE Primary School Bath
• Oldfield Park Infant School Bath
• Oldfield Park Junior School Bath
• Westwood-with-Iford Primary School Bradford-On-Avon
• Fitzmaurice Primary School Bradford-On-Avon

What is Ralph Allen School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ralph Allen School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Ralph Allen School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ralph Allen School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Ralph Allen School have?

Ralph Allen School has 1,398 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ralph Allen School cover?

Ralph Allen School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Ralph Allen School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 53.8, and 66% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ralph Allen School?

Ralph Allen School is at Claverton Down Road, Combe Down, Bath, Somerset, BA2 7AD.