Fairfield High School

About Fairfield High School

Fairfield High School sits within the Bristol, City of local authority, where it ranks 7th out of 20 secondary schools by Progress 8 score, placing it comfortably in the top half of the city’s state provision. The three highest-performing peers in the same authority are Redland Green School, Bristol Cathedral Choir School, and Bristol Metropolitan Academy, all of which post stronger Progress 8 scores than Fairfield’s own 0.25. Still, Fairfield’s ranking puts it ahead of the majority of Bristol secondaries, and its position in the top 50 nationally for Progress 8 underlines that this is a school delivering above-average academic gains for its pupils. The school is led by headteacher Edel Cronin and is a non-denominational, mixed 11-16 state school with no sixth form. It is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, 503 families applied for 207 places, with 154 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.43. That level of demand suggests strong local confidence in the school’s direction.

Academically, Fairfield’s Progress 8 score of 0.25 is significantly above the Bristol local authority average of 0, meaning pupils here make about a quarter of a grade more progress per subject than the national average. The Attainment 8 score sits at 49.9, and 69.3% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths (the basics 94 measure), though the more demanding basics 95 figure (grade 5 or above) drops to 44.3%. The EBacc average point score is 4.34, with 39.2% of pupils entering the EBacc suite of subjects and 26.4% achieving the full EBacc at grade 4 or above. In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school was rated Good overall, with leadership and management judged Outstanding. This marks a clear improvement from the previous graded inspection in 2012, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. The ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed the school remains Good.

Fairfield offers a broad range of facilities including tennis courts, an astro turf, a swimming pool, science labs, art studios, a library, and a sixth form centre (though the school itself has no sixth form). Sports provision covers netball, football, rugby, basketball, martial arts, and tennis, while clubs include eco club, drama, choir, orchestra, film club, art club, and Model UN. The school’s SEND register covers seven categories, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. With 29.4% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Fairfield serves a more disadvantaged intake than many of its top peers, yet still achieves above-average progress — a strong signal for families prioritising value-add. The school is best suited to families in or near Bristol who want a well-subscribed, improving secondary with strong leadership and a clear academic focus, but who are comfortable with a school that does not offer post-16 provision on site.

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