Gordano School
St Mary's Road, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 7QR
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Ms Louise Blundell
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Lighthouse Schools Partnership
- Constituency
- North Somerset
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,940
- Pupils on roll
- 2,029
- URN
- 136856
- Local authority
- North Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01275842606
About this school
Gordano School is a secondary academy in Bristol. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 2,029 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
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 336 | 361 | 324 |
| Attainment 8 score | 49.7 | 48.3 | 49.0 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.09 -0.06 to +0.24 | -0.02 -0.17 to +0.12 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 50% | 48.8% | 50.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 74% | 72% | 72.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 53% | 54.8% | 52.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
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 Gordano 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 | 49.7 | 39.4 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 48.3 | 38.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 49 | 36.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 2,157 |
| 2023/24 | 2,122 |
| 2024/25 | 2,097 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Gordano School compares
Gordano School ranked 6th of 11 secondary schools in North Somerset for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 72% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49 | 8.2% | 9.3% | 2,029 | — |
| Nailsea School | 52.6 | 9.4% | 13.7% | 1,197 | 3.2 miles |
| Clevedon School | 51.4 | 9.3% | 14.2% | 1,390 | 3.7 miles |
| St Katherine's School | 50 | 9.8% | 24.4% | 976 | 4.0 miles |
| Backwell School | 52.7 | 6.9% | 9.5% | 1,595 | 4.3 miles |
| Oasis Academy Brightstowe | 38.2 | 14.5% | 51.3% | 741 | 4.3 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)
- 9.33%
- English as an additional language
- 5.7%
- Overall absence
- 8.18%
- Persistent absence
- 19.65%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Nailsea School3.2 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Clevedon School3.7 miles
Secondary · Clevedon
-
St Katherine's School4.0 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Backwell School4.3 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Oasis Academy Brightstowe4.3 miles
Secondary · Bristol
Other schools in Bristol
Gordano School ranks 19th 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 year groups does Gordano School teach?
- Gordano School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bristol.
- Who is the headteacher of Gordano School?
- The headteacher of Gordano School is Ms Louise Blundell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Gordano School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Gordano 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 Gordano School?
- Gordano School has 2,029 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Gordano School full?
- Gordano School has capacity for 1,940 pupils and 2,029 on roll (105%), 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 Gordano School a faith school?
- No. Gordano School has no designated religious character.
- Is Gordano School a selective school?
- No. Gordano School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Gordano School?
- Gordano 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 Gordano School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 49.7 in 2022/23 and 49 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Gordano School rank locally?
- Gordano School ranked 6th of 11 secondary schools in North Somerset for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 72% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Gordano School's absence rate?
- Gordano School's overall absence rate is 8.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Gordano School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Gordano 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.