SCHOOL PROFILE

Backwell School

Secondary Academy converter URN 136722
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,728 Published school capacity
Capacity used 92.3% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

26 February 2025
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

28 January 2020
Graded inspection Good
Published 10 February 2020
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority North Somerset
Trust LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,595 1,595 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 778 48.8% of pupils
Male pupils 817 51.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

7.8%
17.0 pts below England
School 7.8%
North Somerset 16.5%
South West 20.1%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.3%
16.0 pts below England
School 4.3%
North Somerset 9.3%
South West 10.7%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.3%
0.7 pts below England
School 0.3%
North Somerset 1.5%
South West 1.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
87.1%
1,389
Any other White background
4.3%
68
White and Asian
2.7%
43
Any other Mixed background
1.6%
25
White and Black Caribbean
1.1%
17
Any other Asian background
0.5%
8
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 10.5% 168 of 1,595 pupils
10.3 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 10.5%
North Somerset 18.8%
South West 21.7%
England 20.8%
SEN support 7.5% 120 pupils
England 14.8% 7.3 pts below
EHC plans 3.0% 48 pupils
England 6.0% 3.0 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 59
Specific learning difficulty 51
Autistic spectrum disorder 21
Moderate learning difficulty 11
Speech, language & communication 8
Other difficulty or disability 5

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

52.7 13.5 pts above England
School 52.7
North Somerset 36.9
South West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 56.0% England 36.0% 20.0 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 74.6% England 51.4% 23.2 pts above England
EBacc entry 72.0% England 30.6% 41.4 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.97 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.21 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.87%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.66 pts higher than England
School 6.87%
North Somerset 5.97%
South West 6.20%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

15.14%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

0.67 pts lower than England
School 15.14%
North Somerset 14.19%
South West 15.08%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.97%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.17 pts higher than England
School 2.97%
North Somerset 1.68%
South West 1.90%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

92.3% In line with England
Backwell School
92.3%
North Somerset
93.6%
South West
88.7%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information