Orchard School Bristol
Filton Road, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 0XZ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- AMPLIFY EDUCATION
- Headteacher
- Ms Melanie Sweet
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Trust in Learning (Academies)
- Constituency
- Bristol North West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,080
- Pupils on roll
- 942
- URN
- 138448
- Local authority
- Bristol, City of
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01173772000
About this school
Orchard School Bristol is a secondary academy in Bristol. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 942 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Orchard School Bristol, 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 19 March 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 | 172 | 167 | 177 |
| Attainment 8 score | 39.8 | 39.6 | 44.7 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.38 -0.60 to -0.17 | -0.31 -0.53 to -0.09 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 30% | 34.1% | 48.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 53% | 52.7% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 72% | 68.9% | 53.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
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 Orchard School Bristol 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 | 39.8 | 36.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 39.6 | 34.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 44.7 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 905 |
| 2023/24 | 907 |
| 2024/25 | 947 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Orchard School Bristol compares
Orchard School Bristol ranked 14th of 22 secondary schools in Bristol, City of for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 56% 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 | 44.7 | 10.4% | 44.7% | 942 | — |
| Trinity Academy | 52.1 | 9.9% | 35.6% | 1,062 | 1.1 miles |
| Bristol Free School | 56.3 | 6.5% | 14.5% | 1,304 | 1.4 miles |
| Abbeywood Community School | 46 | 8.3% | 22.1% | 1,294 | 1.5 miles |
| Fairfield High School | 48.9 | 12.3% | 30.9% | 1,057 | 1.7 miles |
| Redland Green School | 59 | 6.6% | 8.6% | 1,652 | 2.1 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)
- 44.67%
- English as an additional language
- 29.3%
- Overall absence
- 10.42%
- Persistent absence
- 26.74%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Trinity Academy1.1 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Bristol Free School1.4 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Abbeywood Community School1.5 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Fairfield High School1.7 miles
Secondary · Bristol
-
Redland Green School2.1 miles
Secondary · Bristol
Other schools in Bristol
Orchard School Bristol ranks 27th 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 Orchard School Bristol teach?
- Orchard School Bristol teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Bristol.
- Who is the headteacher of Orchard School Bristol?
- The headteacher of Orchard School Bristol is Ms Melanie Sweet, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Orchard School Bristol been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Orchard School Bristol, 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 Orchard School Bristol?
- Orchard School Bristol has 942 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Orchard School Bristol full?
- Orchard School Bristol has capacity for 1,080 pupils and 942 on roll (87%), 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 Orchard School Bristol a faith school?
- No. Orchard School Bristol has no designated religious character.
- Is Orchard School Bristol a selective school?
- No. Orchard School Bristol is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Orchard School Bristol part of an academy trust?
- Orchard School Bristol 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 Orchard School Bristol's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 39.8 in 2022/23 and 44.7 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Orchard School Bristol compare with other schools in Bristol, City of?
- Orchard School Bristol ranked 14th of 22 secondary schools in Bristol, City of for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 56% 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 Orchard School Bristol's absence rate?
- Orchard School Bristol's overall absence rate is 10.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Orchard School Bristol's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Orchard School Bristol'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.