Backwell School
Station Road, Backwell, Bristol, BS48 3BX
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr Will Penny
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Lighthouse Schools Partnership
- Constituency
- North Somerset
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,728
- Pupils on roll
- 1,595
- URN
- 136722
- Local authority
- North Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01275463371
About this school
Backwell School is a secondary academy in Bristol. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,595 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Backwell 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
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 262 | 266 | 268 |
| Attainment 8 score | 53.0 | 53.4 | 52.7 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.28 +0.10 to +0.45 | +0.21 +0.04 to +0.38 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 55% | 56.8% | 56% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 81.2% | 74.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 61% | 77.4% | 72% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.9 | 5.1 | 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 Backwell 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 | North Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 53 | 39.4 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 53.4 | 38.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 52.7 | 36.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,687 |
| 2023/24 | 1,630 |
| 2024/25 | 1,597 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Backwell School compares
Backwell School ranked 1st of 11 secondary schools in North Somerset for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 83% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52.7 | 6.9% | 9.5% | 1,595 | — |
| Nailsea School | 52.6 | 9.4% | 13.7% | 1,197 | 1.2 miles |
| Gordano School | 49 | 8.2% | 9.3% | 2,029 | 4.3 miles |
| St Katherine's School | 50 | 9.8% | 24.4% | 976 | 4.8 miles |
| Clevedon School | 51.4 | 9.3% | 14.2% | 1,390 | 4.9 miles |
| Ashton Park School | 45.8 | 10.9% | 24.5% | 1,272 | 5.0 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
-
Ungraded inspection report26 February 2025
- 28 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 9.45%
- English as an additional language
- 4.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.87%
- Persistent absence
- 15.14%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Nailsea School1.2 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Gordano School4.3 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
St Katherine's School4.8 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Clevedon School4.9 miles
Secondary · Clevedon
-
Ashton Park School5.0 miles
Secondary · Bristol
Other schools in Bristol
Backwell School ranks 7th of the 44 ranked secondary schools in Bristol.
- Abbeywood Community School Secondary
- Ashton Park 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
- Cotham School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Backwell School teach?
- Backwell School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bristol.
- Who is the headteacher of Backwell School?
- The headteacher of Backwell School is Mr Will Penny, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Backwell School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Backwell 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 Backwell School?
- Backwell School has 1,595 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Backwell School full?
- Backwell School has capacity for 1,728 pupils and 1,595 on roll (92%), so it has space against 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 Backwell School a faith school?
- No. Backwell School has no designated religious character.
- Is Backwell School a selective school?
- No. Backwell School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Backwell School part of an academy trust?
- Backwell School is part of LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Backwell School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 53 in 2022/23 and 52.7 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Backwell School compare with other schools in North Somerset?
- Backwell School ranked 1st of 11 secondary schools in North Somerset for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 83% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Backwell School's absence rate?
- Backwell School's overall absence rate is 6.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Backwell School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Backwell 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 1 July 2026.