Digitech Studio School
Digitech Studio School is a studio schools in Bristol for pupils aged 14 to 19. It has 608 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Digitech Studio School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026. It has fewer teachers for its size than most secondary schools: 35 pupils for each teacher in 2025/26, against 16.7 nationally. Absence is higher than at almost all other secondary schools, with 16.4% of sessions missed in 2024/25 against 8.4% nationally, and 43% of pupils were persistently absent.
Ofsted inspection: June 2026.
| Type | Secondary / Studio schools |
| Age Range | 14-19 |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Address | Tower Road North Warmley Bristol BS30 8XQ |
| Phone | 01179927100 |
| Reference Number | 142079 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 608 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 55.59%
Girls: 44.41% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 31.5% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 5.9% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 20.4 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 50 | 40 | 90 |
| 11 | 63 | 24 | 87 |
| 12 | 130 | 98 | 228 |
| 13 | 95 | 108 | 203 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 81.1% |
| White, Other | 5.1% |
| Unclassified | 3.8% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.6% |
| African | 1.6% |
| White & Asian | 1.2% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1% |
| Asian, Other | 0.7% |
| Indian | 0.3% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.3% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
| Pakistani | 0.2% |
Digitech Studio School is a 14–19 studio school specialising in creative and digital media and is part of the Cabot Learning Federation. Inspectors found a caring, inclusive school that works effectively with pupils who often join in Year 10 or 12 after disrupted or low-engagement education. Safeguarding standards are met, and inclusion is a particular strength: leaders identify SEND and vulnerabilities quickly, make timely adaptations, and support disadvantaged pupils and those known to social care well. Post-16 provision is also strong, with coherent specialist courses, industry partners, good outcomes and strong preparation for creative careers. Overall, provision is broadly at the expected standard. Pupils gain basic knowledge and make positive progress from their starting points, and behaviour and personal development are positive; pupils feel safe, build trust and benefit from extensive pastoral care, careers guidance and enrichment. However, published key stage 4 outcomes are below national averages, with fewer pupils achieving standard passes in English and mathematics. Literacy development is inconsistent across subjects and needs to be sharper. Attendance and persistent absence remain well below national averages, although most pupils improve compared with their previous settings. Leaders, supported well by the trust, know the school’s priorities. The next steps are to build on attendance improvements during transition and to embed literacy strategies consistently across all subjects.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Expected standard |
| > Leadership & Governance | Expected standard |
| > Personal Development & Wellbeing | Expected standard |
| > Achievement | Expected standard |
| > Attendance & Behaviour | Expected standard |
| > Curriculum & Teaching | Expected standard |
| > Inclusion | Strong standard |
| > Post-16 Provision | Strong standard |
| Last Report Date | 06 May 2026 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 06 May 2026 | School inspection |
| 17 Nov 2021 | School inspection |
| 18 Oct 2017 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
- Inclusion is strong, with timely support for pupils with SEND and complex needs.
- Disadvantaged pupils and those known to social care are very well supported.
- Post-16 provision is strong, with specialist creative and digital courses.
- Post-16 students achieve highly and progress well to further education or careers.
- The specialised curriculum is well organised and linked to creative subjects.
- Teachers adapt the curriculum effectively for pupils with SEND.
- Pupils behave well, enjoy many subjects and respond positively to routines.
- Staff build supportive, trusting relationships and a caring school culture.
- Leaders manage bullying and derogatory behaviour swiftly and effectively.
- Governance and trust oversight are robust and well informed.
- Staff feel well supported, involved and mindful of wellbeing and workload.
- Personal development, careers guidance and enrichment are well planned.
- Most pupils improve their attendance compared with their previous settings.
- Partnerships with provider partners and alternative provisions are well managed.
Areas for Improvement
- Attendance and persistent absence remain well below national averages.
- Published key stage 4 outcomes in national qualifications are below national averages.
- Fewer pupils achieve a standard pass in English and mathematics.
- Pupils do not develop their literacy skills swiftly enough in some subjects.
- Literacy strategies vary across subjects and need to be implemented consistently.
- Some improvement work, such as raising core key stage 4 outcomes through literacy, is not as advanced.
Places and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Digitech Studio School had 588 pupils for 360 places. That is 228 more pupils than the school has room for.
Pupils and places
Year 7 intake in the “Southern Kingswood, Hanham, Longwell Green, Oldland Common and Warmley Secondary” planning area
South Gloucestershire counted 616 Year 7 pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 582 in 2031–32, down 6%.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 360 | 360 | 360 | 360 | 360 | 360 | 360 | 360 | 360 |
| Pupils | 93 | 154 | 237 | 368 | 538 | 527 | 569 | 571 | 588 |
| Unfilled | 74.2% | 57.2% | 34.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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.
Destinations after GCSE's
| Staying in Education | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| > Further Education | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| > School Sixth Form | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| > Sixth Form College | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| > Other Education | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Apprenticeships | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Employment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Not in education or employment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Unknown | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
In 2024–25 pupils at Digitech Studio School attended 83.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 42.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 7.3% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 8.9% | 8.7% | 9.0% | 9.3% |
| Unauthorised absence | 2.9% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 2.4% | 2.0% | 6.5% | 8.8% | 7.9% | 7.0% |
| Severely absent pupils | 5.1% | 2.8% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 9.4% | 7.3% | 13.7% | 12.5% |
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, 7.9% of pupils at Digitech Studio School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 22.8 | 15.3 | 13.4 | 13.9 | 3.9 | 9.7 | 25.5 | 25.6 | 19.3 | 17.9 |
| Permanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
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 Digitech Studio School had 35.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 7.7 | 8.8 | 10.2 | 16.2 | 18.1 | 18.0 | 21.3 | 26.7 | 23.4 | 19.1 | 20.3 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 27.3% | 27.1% | 26.2% | 22.2% | 15.6% | 12.3% | 22.3% | 2.9% | 9.5% | 12.8% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 15.4% | 52.6% | 5.3% | 80.0% | – | 23.8% | 45.8% | 75.0% | 79.2% | 65.2% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 0.7 | 4.9 | 0.3 | 3.4 | – | 1.0 | 15.1 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 6.9 | – |
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, 26.5% of pupils at Digitech Studio School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 10.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Social, emotional and mental health | 69 | 20 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 21 | 22 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 40 | 3 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 9 | 7 |
| Other difficulty or disability | 9 | 3 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 6 | 5 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 3 | 0 |
| Physical disability | 1 | 1 |
| Vision impairment | 1 | 1 |
| Hearing impairment | 1 | 0 |
| Severe learning difficulty | 1 | 0 |
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 Digitech Studio School received £8,154 and spent £8,833 for each of its 594 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £347,000 (£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
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | -£209,000 | -£151,000 | -£88,000 | £418,000 | -£178,000 | £271,000 | £347,000 |
| per pupil | -£561 | -£311 | -£162 | £783 | -£306 | £459 | £584 |
| In-year balance | -£301,000 | -£102,000 | -£34,000 | £22,000 | -£327,000 | -£98,000 | -£403,000 |
| per pupil | -£807 | -£209 | -£62 | £41 | -£561 | -£167 | -£679 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Cadbury Heath Primary School
Lintern Crescent, Warmley, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, BS30 8GB |
0.41 miles |
|
St Barnabas Church of England Primary School
Poplar Close, Warmley, Bristol, BS30 5NW |
0.59 miles |
|
Courtney Primary School
Courtney Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 9RD |
0.76 miles |
|
Parkwall Primary School
Earlstone Crescent, Cadbury Heath, Bristol, Somerset, BS30 8AA |
0.83 miles |
|
Barrs Court Primary School
Stephens Drive, Barrs Court, Bristol, BS30 7JB |
0.88 miles |
|
The Park Primary School
Hollow Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 9TP |
0.93 miles |
|
Redfield Edge Primary School
High Street, Oldland Common, Bristol, BS30 9TL |
1.07 miles |
|
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School
Hanham Road, Kingswood, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Bristol, BS15 8PX |
1.1 miles |
|
Kings' Forest Primary School
Station Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 4PQ |
1.2 miles |
|
Beacon Rise Primary School
Hanham Road, Kingswood, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, BS15 8NU |
1.26 miles |
|
St Anne's Church of England Primary School
School Road, Oldland Common, Bristol, BS30 6PH |
1.29 miles |
|
St Stephen's Infant School
Lansdown Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 1XD |
1.44 miles |
|
St Stephen's Church of England Junior School, Soundwell
Lansdown Road, Kingswood, St Stephen's Junior School, Bristol, BS15 1XD |
1.46 miles |
|
Longwell Green Primary School
Ellacombe Road, Longwell Green, Bristol, BS30 9BA |
1.51 miles |
|
Cherry Garden Primary School
Cherry Garden Lane, Bitton, Bristol, BS30 6JH |
1.52 miles |
|
The Tynings Primary School
Eastleigh Close, Staple Hill, South Gloucestershire, BS16 4SG |
1.66 miles |
|
Two Mile Hill Primary School
Two Mile Hill Primary School, Kingsway, Bristol, BS15 8AA |
1.69 miles |
|
Hanham Abbots Junior School
Abbots Avenue, Hanham, Bristol, BS15 3PN |
1.71 miles |
|
Samuel White's Infant School
Abbots Avenue, Hanham, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, BS15 3PN |
1.74 miles |
|
Wick Church of England Primary School
Church Road, Wick, Bristol, BS30 5PD |
1.89 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Warmley Park School
Tower Road North, Warmley, Bristol, BS30 8XL |
0.1 miles |
|
King's Oak Academy
Brook Road, Kingswood, Bristol, Gloucestershire, BS15 4JT |
0.36 miles |
|
Neptune School
24 Poplar Road, Warmley, Bristol, BS30 5JU |
0.64 miles |
|
New Horizons Learning Centre
Mulberry Drive, Kingswood, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, BS15 4EA |
0.97 miles |
|
Sir Bernard Lovell Academy
North Street, Oldland Common, Bristol, BS30 8TS |
0.99 miles |
|
Soundwell Academy
St Stephens Road, Kingswood, BS16 4RL |
1.5 miles |
|
John Cabot Academy
Woodside Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 8BD |
1.52 miles |
|
Mangotsfield School
Rodway Hill, Mangotsfield, Bristol, BS16 9LH |
1.61 miles |
|
Hanham Woods Academy
Memorial Road, Hanham, Bristol, Bristol, BS15 3LA |
1.93 miles |
|
Bristol Brunel Academy
Speedwell Road, Speedwell, Bristol, BS15 1NU |
2.2 miles |
|
Briarwood School
Briar Way, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 4EA |
2.3 miles |
|
Downend School
Westerleigh Road, Downend, Bristol, BS16 6XA |
2.53 miles |
|
Lyde Green Community School
Honeysuckle Road, Lyde Green, Emersons Green, Bristol, BS16 7LS |
2.84 miles |
|
MIAG (Meeting Individual Aspirations & Goals)
The Beeches Lodge, Broomhill Road, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 5RG |
2.92 miles |
|
Avonside School
23 Clothier Road, Bristol, BS4 5PS |
2.97 miles |
|
St Brendan's Sixth Form College
Broomhill Road, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 5RQ |
2.98 miles |
|
Bristol Metropolitan Academy
Snowdon Road, Fishponds, Bristol, Bristol, BS16 2HD |
3.02 miles |
|
Lift Broadlands
St Francis Road, Keynsham, Bristol, BS31 2DY |
3.02 miles |
|
IKB Academy
68 Bath Road, Bristol, BS31 1SP |
3.14 miles |
|
Wellsway School
Chandag Road, Keynsham, Bristol, BS31 1PH |
3.23 miles |
All schools in Bristol · South Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications
Digitech Studio School is part of Cabot Learning Federation, which runs 34 schools. The nearest others:
- King's Oak Academy Bristol
- John Cabot Academy Bristol
- Minerva Primary Academy Bristol
- Hanham Woods Academy Bristol
- Bristol Brunel Academy Bristol
- Summerhill Academy Bristol
- Frome Vale Academy Bristol
- Bristol Metropolitan Academy Bristol
- Wicklea Academy Bristol
- Begbrook Primary Academy Bristol
What is Digitech Studio School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Digitech Studio School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.
When was Digitech Studio School last inspected by Ofsted?
Digitech Studio School was last inspected in June 2026.
How many pupils does Digitech Studio School have?
Digitech Studio School has 608 pupils on roll.
What age range does Digitech Studio School cover?
Digitech Studio School for pupils aged 14 to 19.
Where is Digitech Studio School?
Digitech Studio School is at Tower Road North, Warmley, Bristol, BS30 8XQ.