Pittville School

About Pittville School

Pittville School, a mixed secondary in Cheltenham for pupils aged 11 to 16, holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent graded inspections. The most telling academic metric is its Progress 8 score of 0.25, which is classified as 'Above average' nationally. This means that, on average, pupils at Pittville achieve a quarter of a grade more per subject than students with similar starting points across England. The school sits 4th out of 5 schools in the Cheltenham local authority area when ranked by this measure, placing it in the top 80th percentile locally. Its Attainment 8 score of 47.4 further supports the picture of solid academic performance, and 69.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths. The school's most recent ungraded inspection in February 2025 confirmed that standards are being maintained, with leadership and management also judged Good.

Digging deeper into the exam data, Pittville's Progress 8 score of 0.25 comfortably exceeds the Gloucestershire local authority average of 0.19. The school's strongest Progress 8 element is in the 'Open' bucket (which includes subjects like arts and humanities) at 0.42, while English and maths sit at 0.06 and 0.10 respectively. The EBacc average point score is 4.03, though only 17.5% of pupils entered the full EBacc suite of subjects, and 13.2% achieved a grade 5 or above in it. Nationally, Pittville ranks 939th out of 3,141 schools on Progress 8, placing it in the top 30% of all schools in England. In the South West region, it ranks 77th out of 306 schools. Parent feedback from the most recent survey period (September 2024 to September 2025) is broadly positive: 80% of the 74 respondents would recommend the school, and 82% agreed or strongly agreed that their child does well there.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 454 applications for 169 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.69, with 138 offers going to first-preference applicants out of 162 who listed it first. Facilities include a swimming pool, sports hall, astro turf, theatre, and music rooms, with clubs ranging from Eco Club and coding to orchestra and Young Enterprise. Sports on offer include rowing, netball, and dance. For families with children who have special educational needs, the school lists provisions for a wide range of needs including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. However, the parent view data on SEND support is more mixed: 64% agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, while 36% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Pittville is a good fit for families seeking a well-regarded local secondary with strong academic progress, a broad range of activities, and a clear focus on maintaining high standards.

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