Bristol Cathedral Choir School
College Square, Bristol, BS1 5TS
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- AMPLIFY EDUCATION
- Head of School
- Dr Wade Nottingham
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bristol
- Sponsor
- Trust in Learning (Academies)
- Constituency
- Bristol Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,050
- Pupils on roll
- 1,192
- URN
- 135575
- Local authority
- Bristol, City of
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01173535000
About this school
Bristol Cathedral Choir School is a Church of England secondary academy in Bristol. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,192 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 150 | 146 | 148 |
| Attainment 8 score | 54.9 | 56.7 | 54.6 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.41 +0.18 to +0.65 | +0.55 +0.31 to +0.78 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 61% | 65.8% | 60.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 87% | 76.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 32% | 32.2% | 43.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
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 Bristol Cathedral Choir 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 | 54.9 | 36.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 56.7 | 34.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 54.6 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,176 |
| 2023/24 | 1,167 |
| 2024/25 | 1,183 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bristol Cathedral Choir School compares
Bristol Cathedral Choir School ranked 5th of 22 secondary schools in Bristol, City of for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 86% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 14% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 54.6 | 8.4% | 25.9% | 1,192 | — |
| St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School | 54.2 | 7.2% | 23.8% | 1,792 | 0.6 miles |
| Oasis Academy Temple Quarter | — | 8.1% | 45.7% | 391 | 0.8 miles |
| Cotham School | 51.8 | 9% | 39.1% | 1,654 | 0.9 miles |
| E-Act Montpelier High School | 57.3 | 8.3% | 32.1% | 859 | 1.2 miles |
| Ashton Park School | 45.8 | 10.9% | 24.5% | 1,272 | 1.5 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
- 29 November 2022
-
Ungraded inspection report23 September 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 25.86%
- English as an additional language
- 19.7%
- Overall absence
- 8.44%
- Persistent absence
- 23.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School0.6 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Oasis Academy Temple Quarter0.8 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Cotham School0.9 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
E-Act Montpelier High School1.2 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Ashton Park School1.5 miles
Secondary · Bristol
Other schools in Bristol
Bristol Cathedral Choir School ranks 5th 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 Free School Secondary
- Bristol Metropolitan Academy Secondary
- Chew Valley School Secondary
- Chipping Sodbury School Secondary
- Cotham School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bristol Cathedral Choir School teach?
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bristol.
- Who is the head of school of Bristol Cathedral Choir School?
- The head of school of Bristol Cathedral Choir School is Dr Wade Nottingham, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bristol Cathedral Choir School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bristol Cathedral Choir 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 big is Bristol Cathedral Choir School?
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School has 1,192 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Bristol Cathedral Choir School full?
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School has capacity for 1,050 pupils and 1,192 on roll (114%), 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 Bristol Cathedral Choir School a faith school?
- Yes. Bristol Cathedral Choir School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bristol.
- Is Bristol Cathedral Choir School a selective school?
- No. Bristol Cathedral Choir School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Bristol Cathedral Choir School?
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School is part of AMPLIFY EDUCATION. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bristol Cathedral Choir School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 54.9 in 2022/23 and 54.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bristol Cathedral Choir School rank locally?
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School ranked 5th of 22 secondary schools in Bristol, City of for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 86% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 14% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bristol Cathedral Choir School's absence rate?
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School's overall absence rate is 8.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bristol Cathedral Choir School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bristol Cathedral Choir 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 8 July 2026.