With the new year underway, many parents will be starting to look forward to receiving confirmation as to whether or not their youngsters have secured places at their first-choice secondary schools.
Offers of school places for applications sent on time will begin to arrive on March 1 before pupils make the move to ‘big’ school in September. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of the highest-rated secondary schools in the Bristol area, according to Ofsted.
Ofsted’s rating system is made up of four rankings, ‘Outstanding’ is the top rating a school can receive, ‘good’ is second, ‘requires improvement’ is the third and ‘inadequate’ is the worst.
Below are the 13 schools currently rated as ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by the education watchdog to help you make the best choice.

9. The City Academy - Good
Ofsted rated The City Academy as a Good school in April 2019. In its report, inspectors noted that ‘Pupils make good progress in all year groups. This is especially the case in English and mathematics.' | Google

10. Hanham Woods Academy - Good
In late 2019, Hanham Woods Academy was graded Good by Ofsted following three monitoring visits made from May 2018 to April 2019. The November 2019 report stated that ‘Parents recognise that the headteacher has led a revival in the school’s fortunes.’ | Google

11. Oasis Academy Brislington - Good
Brislington’s Oasis Academy was marked as Good by Ofsted following an inspection in October 2021. This report determined ‘Pupils learn in a well-structured environment. They know what is expected of them. Teachers give pupils clear guidance and useful prompts to recall their learning. Pupils work well and produce good quality work.' | Google

12. Bedminster Down School - Good
Bedminster Down School was scored Good by Ofsted in June 2013. Another short inspection was conducted in October 2017 which maintained this rating. This report stated that the school provided ‘ strong and confident leadership and a clear sense of direction and ambition'. | Google