Mangotsfield School

Mangotsfield School is a large secondary school within Castle School Education Trust. A full section 5 inspection found safeguarding standards are met and the school is performing at the expected standard in curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Achievement and attendance are the two areas needing attention, with published examination outcomes below national averages in some subjects and attendance remaining below the national average. The school has a calm, caring and inclusive culture. Pupils feel happy, safe and well supported, behaviour is typically good, and leaders have developed a broad, ambitious curriculum with effective support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those in the early stages of learning English. Personal development is a clear strength, including careers education, clubs, trips and challenge days. Leaders are well informed and work closely with the trust, local community and parents. However, too many pupils do not achieve well enough by the end of key stage 4, particularly in subjects such as mathematics and humanities, and some do not secure outcomes that prepare them well for their next steps. Attendance remains below average, with persistent absence especially affecting pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Leaders are taking action to improve curriculum implementation, outcomes and attendance, but this work needs to continue and be more consistently embedded.

Strengths

• Calm and orderly school environment with clear expectations and respectful relationships.
• Pupils feel happy, safe and cared for and describe a strong sense of belonging.
• Strong pastoral care and support for pupils' wellbeing.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum that leaders review and adapt carefully.
• Common teaching strategies, including oracy and checks for understanding, support pupils' learning.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, including through the Oak Hub and The Branch.
• Well-planned additional teaching for gaps in reading, number facts and writing.
• Inclusive approach for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• Strong leadership and governance with clear oversight and effective trust collaboration.
• Positive engagement with parents, carers and the local community.
• Cohesive personal development programme covering health, safety, relationships and British Values.
• Wide range of careers education, clubs, trips and challenge days.
• Safeguarding standards are met.
• Improvements in the lower school are leading to better pupil progress through the curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement requires attention because too many pupils do not achieve outcomes in line with national averages in some subjects, such as mathematics and humanities.
• Too many pupils do not secure outcomes that prepare them well for their next steps.
• Attendance remains below the national average.
• Persistent absence is too high, especially for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Curriculum implementation is not yet consistently effective across all parts of the curriculum.
• Leaders need to review and prioritise planned actions to improve pupils' outcomes so pupils achieve well from their starting points.
• Work to improve attendance needs to continue robustly and be well evaluated.
• Some pupils do not learn enough of the planned curriculum, which limits their achievement.

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 Mangotsfield School attended 89.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.6% 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, 9.2% of pupils at Mangotsfield School 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 Mangotsfield School had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.4% 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, 17.4% of pupils at Mangotsfield School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% 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 Mangotsfield School received £7,616 and spent £7,603 for each of its 1,160 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £742,000 (£639 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of Pathway Trust, income was £7,571 and spending £7,443 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

Mangotsfield School is part of Pathway Trust, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• Downend School Bristol
• Lyde Green Primary School Bristol
• Cherry Garden Primary School Bristol
• Marlwood School Bristol
• Severn Beach Primary School Bristol
• The Castle School Bristol
• Charfield Primary School Wotton-Under-Edge
• Tortworth Primary School Wotton-Under-Edge
• St Anne's Church Primary School Weston Super Mare
• Priory Community School Weston-Super-Mare

What is Mangotsfield School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mangotsfield School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Mangotsfield School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mangotsfield School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Mangotsfield School have?

Mangotsfield School has 1,191 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mangotsfield School cover?

Mangotsfield School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Mangotsfield School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.3, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Mangotsfield School?

Mangotsfield School is at Rodway Hill, Mangotsfield, Bristol, BS16 9LH.