The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School

About The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School

The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School sits just above the local authority average on the headline measure of Progress 8, with a score of -0.17 compared to the Herefordshire average of -0.22 for secondary schools. That gap is small but meaningful — it means pupils here typically make slightly more academic progress than their peers across the county. The school ranks 5th out of 15 state secondaries in Herefordshire, placing it in the top third locally, and nationally it sits in the 62nd percentile. This is a school that performs reliably in line with or a touch above its local context, though it's worth noting that the three top-performing schools in the area — The Steiner Academy Hereford, Fairfield High School, and St Mary's RC High School — all post significantly higher Progress 8 scores. Still, for a Church of England secondary that was rated Requires Improvement just two years before its most recent inspection, the current Good rating and solid progress metrics represent a clear upward trajectory.

Academically, the school's Attainment 8 score sits at 44, and 64.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, with 45.1% reaching the stronger grade 5 benchmark. The English Baccalaureate entry rate is 24.4%, and 20.2% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 4 or above. Progress in maths is notably stronger than in English — the maths Progress 8 score is -0.05, almost exactly in line with the national average, while English comes in at -0.31. The school's overall Progress 8 banding is classified as 'Average', and the confidence interval ranges from -0.38 to 0.03, meaning the true figure could be slightly below or just above zero. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021, inspectors rated behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all as Good, with the quality of education also judged Good. That inspection marked a clear improvement from the previous graded inspection in 2019, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 409 applications for 215 places, with 172 first-preference offers made from 174 first-preference applications — an oversubscription ratio of 1.9. Facilities include a theatre, chapel, music rooms, art studios, and an ICT suite, and the sports offering is broad, with rowing, rugby, netball, and swimming among the options. Clubs range from coding and science club to Model UN, debate, and eco club. The school has a resourced provision and supports a wide range of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and physical disabilities. There is no sixth form — the school caters only for ages 11 to 16 — so families will need to plan for post-16 options elsewhere. This is a solid, improving Church of England secondary that suits families looking for a well-subscribed local school with strong pastoral and SEND support, and academic outcomes that sit slightly above the county average.

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