Summerhill Academy

Summerhill Academy is performing very well. This full section 5 inspection found strong standards across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding standards met. Published outcomes are consistently above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, and disadvantaged pupils also achieve highly, often with smaller gaps than nationally. Pupils behave exceptionally well, feel safe and supported, and benefit from an ambitious, knowledge-rich curriculum, strong reading and oracy provision, and effective support for pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. Inclusion is central, leadership is highly effective, and the Cabot Learning Federation and academy council provide strong support and challenge. The school's personal development and wellbeing offer is a particular strength, with strong pastoral care and enrichment. The main area for continued focus is attendance. Although attendance is improving and overall absence is close to average, persistent absence remains above the national average. Leaders should continue implementing their attendance strategy so that more pupils, including those who are persistently absent, attend well. No other significant weaknesses were identified in this inspection.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve very well across the curriculum, with outcomes consistently above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND make rapid progress from their starting points and are carefully supported.
• Behaviour across the school is exemplary; pupils are courteous, attentive, motivated and rarely require reminders.
• Attendance is continually improving through leaders' tenacious and systematic work with pupils, parents and carers.
• The curriculum is ambitious, broad and knowledge-rich, with strong foundations in reading, writing, mathematics and oracy.
• Teaching is highly effective and grounded in research, supported by high-quality professional development.
• Inclusion is central to leaders' work, with needs identified quickly and barriers to success reduced or removed.
• Leadership and governance are highly effective, with strong trust and academy council support and challenge.
• Personal development and wellbeing are at the heart of the school, with strong pastoral support and enrichment.
• Pupils feel happy, safe and supported, and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils develop responsibility, British values, understanding of diversity, and healthy relationships.
• Staff feel highly valued and supported, and leaders prioritise wellbeing and workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains above the national average, and leaders should continue implementing the attendance strategy so that more pupils, including those persistently absent, attend well.

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 Summerhill Academy attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.5% of pupils at Summerhill Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Summerhill Academy had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 17.9% of pupils at Summerhill Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Summerhill Academy received £7,937 and spent £8,273 for each of its 221 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £129,000 (£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.

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All schools in Bristol · Bristol, City of local authority: places and applications

Summerhill Academy is part of Cabot Learning Federation, which runs 34 schools. The nearest others:

• Bristol Brunel Academy Bristol
• The City Academy Bristol Bristol
• Wicklea Academy Bristol
• John Cabot Academy Bristol
• Bristol Metropolitan Academy Bristol
• Evergreen Primary Academy Bristol
• Minerva Primary Academy Bristol
• Hanham Woods Academy Bristol
• Begbrook Primary Academy Bristol
• Frome Vale Academy Bristol

What is Summerhill Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Summerhill Academy is Strong standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Summerhill Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Summerhill Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Summerhill Academy have?

Summerhill Academy has 223 pupils on roll.

What age range does Summerhill Academy cover?

Summerhill Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Summerhill Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Summerhill Academy?

Summerhill Academy is at Plummers Hill, St George, Bristol, BS5 7JU.