St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School
Fossedale Avenue, Whitchurch, Bristol, BS14 9LS
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Edward Walker
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Clifton
- Constituency
- Bristol South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 750
- Pupils on roll
- 753
- URN
- 109331
- Local authority
- Bristol, City of
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01173772050
About this school
St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in Bristol. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 753 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 145 | 144 | 146 |
| Attainment 8 score | 45.0 | 43.0 | 44.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.21 -0.45 to +0.03 | -0.32 -0.55 to -0.09 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 32% | 31.9% | 37.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 59% | 64.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 19% | 29.2% | 22.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bristol, City of average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 45 | 36.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43 | 34.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 44.5 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 754 |
| 2023/24 | 747 |
| 2024/25 | 754 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School compares
St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School ranked 15th of 22 secondary schools in Bristol, City of for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 55% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44.5 | 9.7% | 29.2% | 753 | — |
| Oasis Academy John Williams | 46.9 | 11.4% | 40.7% | 858 | 0.3 miles |
| Oasis Academy Daventry Road | — | 18.2% | 65.1% | 362 | 0.5 miles |
| Oasis Academy Brislington | 44.3 | 9.5% | 29.4% | 1,357 | 1.2 miles |
| Oasis Academy Temple Quarter | — | 8.1% | 45.7% | 391 | 2.2 miles |
| Lift Broadlands | 31.8 | 16.2% | 42.8% | 314 | 2.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 29.18%
- English as an additional language
- 13.4%
- Overall absence
- 9.71%
- Persistent absence
- 29.31%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Oasis Academy John Williams0.3 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Oasis Academy Daventry Road0.5 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Oasis Academy Brislington1.2 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Oasis Academy Temple Quarter2.2 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Lift Broadlands2.3 miles
Secondary · Bristol
Other schools in Bristol
St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School ranks 29th of the 44 ranked secondary schools in Bristol.
- Abbeywood Community School Secondary
- Ashton Park School Secondary
- Backwell School Secondary
- Bedminster Down School Secondary
- Blaise High School Secondary
- Brimsham Green School Secondary
- Bristol Brunel Academy Secondary
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School Secondary
- Bristol Free School Secondary
- Bristol Metropolitan Academy Secondary
- Chew Valley School Secondary
- Chipping Sodbury School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School teach?
- St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Bristol.
- Who is the headteacher of St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School?
- The headteacher of St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School is Mr Edward Walker, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School?
- St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School has 753 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School full?
- St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School has capacity for 750 pupils and 753 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Clifton.
- Is St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School a selective school?
- No. St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 45 in 2022/23 and 44.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School compare with other schools in Bristol, City of?
- St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School ranked 15th of 22 secondary schools in Bristol, City of for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 55% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School's absence rate?
- St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School's overall absence rate is 9.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.