St Brendan's Sixth Form College

About St Brendan's Sixth Form College

St Brendan's Sixth Form College is a large Roman Catholic state sixth form in Bristol, City of, serving 770 students in the 16-19 age range against a school capacity of 1,658, meaning it is operating at less than half its total capacity. This is a significant signal for parents: the college is not oversubscribed, and there is ample room for new applicants. For context, the proportion of students eligible for free school meals at St Brendan's is not provided in the data, but the local authority average for secondary schools in Bristol is 0, so direct comparison is not possible here. The college is mixed and led by headteacher Marian Curran. Its religious character as Roman Catholic may appeal to families seeking a faith-based environment for post-16 study, though the data does not specify any admissions criteria tied to faith. With a capacity that far exceeds current pupil numbers, the college appears to be a less competitive option in the Bristol sixth form landscape, which could be a practical choice for students who want a guaranteed place without the pressure of selective entry.

Academically, St Brendan's results for the 2023/24 academic year show a mixed picture. The average points per entry for A-levels is 29.61, which equates to a grade C, and the best three A-levels average points are 30.53, also a grade C. The proportion of students achieving AAB or higher in at least two facilitating subjects is 9.3%. The college's value added score is -0.33, with a progress banding of 'Below average', meaning students on average achieved slightly lower grades than expected given their prior attainment. The lower confidence interval is -0.38 and the upper is -0.28, so the negative result is statistically significant. Compared with the local authority average Progress 8 score of 0 (the benchmark for state schools in Bristol), St Brendan's is performing below the norm. Among its top peers in the area, Redland Green School, Bristol Cathedral Choir School, and Bristol Metropolitan Academy all have higher ranking scores, suggesting stronger academic outcomes elsewhere in the city.

The college offers a wide range of facilities including science labs, a sixth form centre, playing fields, a library, astro turf, tennis courts, art studios, a swimming pool, sports hall, gymnasium, and a chapel. Sports on offer include hockey, cricket, basketball, rowing, dance, badminton, martial arts, swimming, and rugby, while clubs range from book club and art club to young enterprise, newspaper, science club, drama, and gardening. There is no mention of SEND provisions in the data, so parents with children who have additional needs should investigate directly. Given the low demand signal from the capacity figures, this college may suit families who prioritise a guaranteed place and a faith-based setting over academic selectivity. It is a state-funded, non-boarding option in Bristol, City of, and its below-average value added suggests it may be a better fit for students who are already strong performers and can work independently, rather than those needing significant academic catch-up.

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