Gloucester Academy

About Gloucester Academy

Gloucester Academy’s Progress 8 score of 0.16 sits just below the Gloucestershire local authority average of 0.19, meaning pupils here make slightly less academic progress from Key Stage 2 to GCSE than the typical student across the county. That places the school 20th out of 44 secondary schools in the area, a solidly mid-table position. More striking is the contrast with the top performers nearby — Pate’s Grammar School, for instance, scores 1.01 — but Gloucester Academy is a non-selective state school serving a very different intake. Nearly half its pupils (47.3%) are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, and the school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 it received 275 applications for 235 places, with 103 first-preference offers. That level of demand suggests local families see value here, even if the headline progress figure doesn’t leap off the page.

Dig into the breakdown and a more nuanced picture emerges. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 39.5, and 50% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the basics 94 measure). Progress in English is notably strong at +0.38, well above the LA average, while maths progress lags at -0.32 — a clear split that the school will want to address. The EBacc entry rate is low at 19%, and only 9.9% of pupils entered the full EBacc, which is below the national trend. Ofsted’s November 2024 inspection rated the school Good overall, with personal development judged Outstanding — a significant upgrade from its previous Inadequate rating in 2018. Behaviour and attitudes, leadership, and quality of education all scored Good. Parent View responses from 72 families are mixed: 67% would recommend the school, and 73% agree their child does well, but only 47% feel concerns are dealt with properly.

The school is a mixed 11-16 secondary with no sixth form, housed in a building that includes a swimming pool, theatre, sports hall, and music rooms. Clubs range from coding and Model UN to gardening and Young Enterprise, and sports on offer include rowing, martial arts, and gymnastics. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties, autism, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities — 35% of responding parents said their child has SEND, and 64% of those agreed the school gives them the support they need. For families in Gloucester looking for a well-subscribed local school that has turned around its Ofsted rating and offers strong personal development alongside a wide range of extracurriculars, Gloucester Academy is worth a closer look, particularly for children who might benefit from its English teaching and inclusive SEND offer.

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