Marlwood School

About Marlwood School

Marlwood School’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.22 sits just above the South Gloucestershire local authority average of -0.25, placing it in the middle of the pack for a secondary state school in the area. That marginal difference might not sound dramatic, but in a local authority where no school has an Outstanding Ofsted rating and the average Progress 8 is negative, it means Marlwood is performing broadly in line with its peers rather than falling behind. The school ranks 10th out of 17 similar schools in South Gloucestershire, putting it in the 62.5th percentile locally and the 65th percentile nationally. Its Attainment 8 score of 47.6 gives a solid baseline, while the basics measure at grade 4 or above in English and maths reaches 75.6% of pupils. These numbers suggest a school that is steady rather than exceptional, but one that is comfortably holding its own against the LA average.

The 2023 Ofsted inspection saw Marlwood jump from a Requires Improvement rating to Good across the board, with all five key categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — all rated Good. That’s a meaningful turnaround from the previous inspection in 2019, which had flagged quality of education as requiring improvement. On the academic side, the school’s Progress 8 banding is classed as Average, with the strongest subject area being English at -0.06, while open subjects dragged the score down to -0.38. The EBacc entry rate is 46.5%, and 19.8% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 5 or above. The school also has a sixth form, though no separate A-level data is available in this dataset.

Marlwood is a mixed, non-religious secondary school with 566 pupils against a capacity of 750, so there is room to grow. It was oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 183 applications for 93 places and 90 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.97. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a theatre, swimming pool, sports hall, astro turf, tennis courts, and a sixth form centre. Its SEND provisions cover seven areas including dyslexia, autism, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. Clubs range from Eco Club and Debate to DofE and Model UN, while sports include swimming, hockey, rugby and cricket. This is a school that suits families looking for a steady, improving local option with decent facilities and a broad curriculum, particularly those who value the sixth form and the range of extracurricular activities on offer.

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