Soundwell Academy
St Stephens Road, Kingswood, BS16 4RL
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 5 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr Craig Abbs
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership
- Constituency
- Bristol North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 136
- Pupils on roll
- 141
- URN
- 147889
- Local authority
- Bristol, City of
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01174280505
About this school
Soundwell Academy is a special academy in Kingswood. It teaches children aged 5 to 18 and has 141 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 13 | 11 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -13.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -8.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -12.60 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 14 | 24 |
| Attainment 8 score | 4.3 | 3.6 |
| Progress 8 score | -1.70 -2.54 to -0.87 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 7.1% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 14.3% | 4.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.2 | 0.2 |
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 Soundwell Academy 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 | 0% | 51.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 52.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 55.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | Bristol, City of average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 36.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 4.3 | 34.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 3.6 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 21.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 24.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 22.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 120 |
| 2023/24 | 133 |
| 2024/25 | 140 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 65.71%
- English as an additional language
- 5%
- Overall absence
- 22.35%
- Persistent absence
- 52.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
New Horizons Learning Centre0.6 miles
Special schools · Bristol
-
Briarwood School0.8 miles
Special schools · Bristol
-
Elmtree Grove School Ltd1.0 miles
Special schools · Bristol
-
Pathways Learning Centre1.0 miles
Academies · Bristol
-
St Matthias Academy1.4 miles
Academies · Bristol
Other schools in Kingswood
- Kingswood Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Soundwell Academy teach?
- Soundwell Academy teaches children aged 5 to 18. It is a special school in Kingswood.
- Who is the headteacher of Soundwell Academy?
- The headteacher of Soundwell Academy is Mr Craig Abbs, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Soundwell Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Soundwell Academy, 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 Soundwell Academy?
- Soundwell Academy has 141 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 18.
- Is Soundwell Academy full?
- Soundwell Academy has capacity for 136 pupils and 141 on roll (104%), 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 Soundwell Academy a faith school?
- No. Soundwell Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Soundwell Academy a selective school?
- No. Soundwell Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Soundwell Academy?
- Soundwell Academy is part of MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Soundwell Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Soundwell Academy's absence rate?
- Soundwell Academy's overall absence rate is 22.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Soundwell Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Soundwell Academy'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 10 July 2026.