Bitterne Park School
Dimond Road, Bitterne Park, Southampton, SO18 1BU
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- Reach Cooperative Trust
- Headteacher
- Mr Stewart Roderick
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Southampton Itchen
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 2,000
- Pupils on roll
- 2,036
- URN
- 116458
- Local authority
- Southampton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02380325200
About this school
Bitterne Park School is a foundation secondary school in Southampton. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 2,036 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bitterne Park 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 360 | 385 | 357 |
| Attainment 8 score | 43.3 | 43.9 | 43.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.48 -0.63 to -0.33 | -0.19 -0.34 to -0.05 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 36.9% | 35.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 57% | 56.6% | 60.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 21% | 44.7% | 40.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.6 | 4.0 | 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 Bitterne Park 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 | Southampton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 43.3 | 38 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43.9 | 34.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 43.1 | 34 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 2,020 |
| 2023/24 | 2,002 |
| 2024/25 | 2,015 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bitterne Park School compares
Bitterne Park School ranked 6th of 11 secondary schools in Southampton for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 49% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43.1 | 10.6% | 30.5% | 2,036 | — |
| Saint George Catholic Voluntary Aided College Southampton | 60 | 5% | 18.9% | 1,031 | 1.3 miles |
| Cantell School | 46.9 | 7.6% | 43.5% | 1,313 | 1.5 miles |
| Woodlands Community College | 35.5 | 14.3% | 55.5% | 907 | 1.6 miles |
| Oasis Academy Sholing | 43.3 | 11% | 33.5% | 1,030 | 1.8 miles |
| St Anne's Catholic School | 55.6 | 7.2% | 33.2% | 1,189 | 1.9 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.
Inspection history
- 8 May 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report18 January 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 30.5%
- English as an additional language
- 18.1%
- Overall absence
- 10.59%
- Persistent absence
- 26.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Saint George Catholic Voluntary Aided College Southampton1.3 miles
Secondary · Southampton
-
Cantell School1.5 miles
Secondary · Southampton
-
Woodlands Community College1.6 miles
Secondary · Southampton
-
Oasis Academy Sholing1.8 miles
Secondary · Southampton
-
St Anne's Catholic School1.9 miles
Secondary · Southampton
Other schools in Southampton
Bitterne Park School ranks 12th of the 20 ranked secondary schools in Southampton.
- Applemore College Secondary
- Brookfield Community School Secondary
- Cantell School Secondary
- Deer Park School Secondary
- Hounsdown School Secondary
- Lift New Forest Secondary
- Noadswood School Secondary
- Oasis Academy Lord's Hill Secondary
- Oasis Academy Mayfield Secondary
- Oasis Academy Sholing Secondary
- Redbridge Community School Secondary
- Regents Park Community College Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Bitterne Park School teach?
- Bitterne Park School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Southampton.
- Who is the headteacher of Bitterne Park School?
- The headteacher of Bitterne Park School is Mr Stewart Roderick, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bitterne Park School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bitterne Park 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 Bitterne Park School?
- Bitterne Park School has 2,036 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Bitterne Park School full?
- Bitterne Park School has capacity for 2,000 pupils and 2,036 on roll (102%), 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 Bitterne Park School a faith school?
- No. Bitterne Park School has no designated religious character.
- Is Bitterne Park School a selective school?
- No. Bitterne Park School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Bitterne Park School part of an academy trust?
- Bitterne Park School is part of Reach Cooperative Trust. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Bitterne Park School have?
- The schools register lists Bitterne Park School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Bitterne Park School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 43.3 in 2022/23 and 43.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bitterne Park School compare with other schools in Southampton?
- Bitterne Park School ranked 6th of 11 secondary schools in Southampton for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 49% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bitterne Park School's absence rate?
- Bitterne Park School's overall absence rate is 10.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bitterne Park School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bitterne Park 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 30 June 2026.