Oasis Academy Brislington Review 2026: Inclusive South Bristol secondary with structured routines and broad enrichment

Oasis Academy Brislington sits in that important middle ground for many families, an all-ability academy with clear routines, a strong safeguarding culture, and a serious approach to personal development. Leadership changed recently, with Mr Barnaby Ash taking up the Principal role on 03 June 2024, following a trust recruitment process.

This is a large secondary community, with Ofsted’s provider page listing 1,366 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,303. The academy is part of Oasis Community Learning, and the trust-wide offer is visible in areas such as Oasis Horizons, which describes an iPad scheme intended to support learning at school and at home.

The latest inspection judgement (October 2021) was Good across all areas, and the report narrative is useful for understanding day-to-day classroom experience, expectations, and where the academy has chosen to focus improvement work.

A defining feature here is structure. The 2021 inspection report describes a well-structured learning environment, high expectations, and lessons that are rarely disrupted. That combination matters, because it tends to benefit both confident high attainers and students who need predictability to settle and engage.

The academy’s public messaging reinforces those habits of routine and presentation. The Principal’s welcome sets out a straightforward behavioural ambition, Work Hard; Look Smart; Be Nice, alongside a pastoral framing described as a 360 degrees of care approach. The language is direct rather than performative, which will suit families looking for a clear boundary-setting culture.

There is also a deliberate emphasis on character education and community. Student leadership is presented as a democratic, representative model, with students expected to campaign, debate issues, and bring proposals to staff. For some teenagers, that is a genuine engagement route, particularly when it is tied to visible change rather than token roles.

Inclusion is not generic branding here, it has practical form. The inspection report notes specialist provision for autistic spectrum disorder and for speech, language and communication needs, plus a specialist resource centre with a purposeful environment and a well-sequenced curriculum. For families navigating SEND support, that clarity of intent is often as important as the label itself.

For GCSE outcomes, this academy sits broadly in line with the middle range of schools in England in the FindMySchool ranking. Ranked 2,569th in England and 36th in Bristol for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance is broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The attainment profile points to steady outcomes with clear improvement headroom. The academy’s Attainment 8 score is 40.9, with Progress 8 at -0.29. EBacc measures appear weaker with an average EBacc APS of 3.85 and 12.8% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc. These indicators usually align with a school focusing on strengthening consistency, literacy, and challenge, rather than relying on a small set of headline outcomes.

A useful way to interpret this for families is to separate two questions. First, can your child learn well day to day? The inspection report points to calm lessons, clear guidance, and teachers who explain subject matter clearly. Second, will the academy stretch the very highest attainers as far as possible? The report flags that challenge for the most able was not always as strong as it could be, which is the type of school-improvement priority that parents of high attainers should ask about directly at open events or a visit.

Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to put these indicators alongside nearby secondaries, particularly helpful when weighing stability, outcomes, and travel time together.

Teaching appears designed around clarity and recall. The inspection report describes teachers giving clear guidance and prompts to help pupils recall prior learning, with routine checking for understanding in lessons. Where that is consistent, it tends to help students avoid the common problem of drifting through units without a secure foundation, especially in subjects that build cumulatively.

The same report offers a helpful nuance. Where recall and curriculum sequencing were strongest, the report cites English and history as examples where pupils were able to use prior knowledge to tackle more complex work. In languages, younger pupils found it harder to recall knowledge to support current learning. That is not unusual, but it is a practical question for families with a language-strong child, or for those who want to understand how the academy builds confidence in Modern Foreign Languages over time.

SEND adaptation is another key strand. The report describes an ambitious curriculum for pupils with SEND, and a SEND team with specialist knowledge shared across the school. It also notes that, on rare occasions, teachers did not use SEND information effectively enough, which affected how well pupils built on prior learning. For parents, that translates into a focused question, how is SEND information communicated to staff, and how is classroom adaptation monitored for impact.

Technology is presented as part of the learning model through Oasis Horizons, which describes providing iPads to students, teachers, and support staff, designed to support learning both in lessons and at home. For families, the practical issue is how consistent usage is across subjects, and what expectations exist for home learning that relies on that device.

Where Students Go Next

Although the academy is listed with an 11 to 18 age range on Ofsted’s provider page, the academy’s own website messaging places strong emphasis on 11 to 16 education and on structured post-16 guidance that helps students choose their next step well.

The practical offer here is careers education and navigation, not a narrow assumption that every student follows the same path. The inspection report states that leaders ensure pupils receive objective careers advice and that pupils progress into further education, employment, or training. For families, that matters most in Year 9 options, Year 11 decision-making, and for students who want a clear route into apprenticeships, vocational pathways, or sixth form study.

The academy also publishes guidance for families on post-16 options, including local providers. Recent parent guidance explicitly references sixth forms and sixth form colleges as routes, and names St Brendan’s Sixth Form College as a local provider. In older published material, the academy describes a growing partnership with St Brendan’s and positions it as a common destination for post-16 progression. The detail will evolve year to year, but it signals that the academy expects students to make informed choices and move on to a range of settings rather than defaulting to a single route.

Because no verified destination percentages are available in the provided dataset, it is best to treat destinations as qualitative rather than statistical here. Families with a highly academic student should ask specifically about support for competitive sixth forms, high-demand courses, and structured GCSE guidance for sixth form entry requirements.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority route rather than a direct school application. The academy’s published admission arrangements for 2026 to 2027 set a published admission number of 270 for Year 7, and confirm that applications are made through a home local authority using the Common Application Form process.

Oversubscription follows a standard priority sequence. After children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the academy, priority is given to looked-after and previously looked-after children, then siblings, then distance. Where distance cannot separate applicants, the policy describes allocation by drawing lots, overseen independently.

For September 2026 admissions, Bristol City Council publishes the application window and deadlines, with online applications opening 12 September 2025, a deadline of midnight on 04 November 2025, offers released on 02 March 2026, and an acceptance deadline of 16 March 2026. These are the dates families should plan around, especially where a change of address or evidence submission might affect distance measurement.

One additional point worth noting is that the academy has published a consultation item regarding changing admissions arrangements for September 2026 by removing medical grounds from oversubscription criteria, with the rationale that relevant needs would ordinarily be reflected through EHCP priority. Families with complex circumstances should read the final determined arrangements carefully and, where needed, seek advice early from the local authority admissions team.

Parents should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check how their home location compares to typical distance-based allocations across nearby schools, particularly useful where multiple secondaries are realistic options and travel time is a deciding factor.

Pastoral effectiveness shows up in three places, safeguarding, behaviour, and student confidence to report issues. The latest inspection report confirms that safeguarding arrangements are effective, and describes strong systems that help leaders understand what is happening in the lives of vulnerable pupils, with support including external agencies and in-house counselling.

Behaviour is described as calm around the school and in lessons, with disruption rare. Bullying is described as rare, and the pastoral system is positioned as responsive when incidents occur. For families, the key practical question is how pastoral teams communicate with parents when concerns arise, and how the academy supports both the targeted student and the wider peer group to prevent repetition.

There is also an explicit improvement point linked to personal development. The inspection report notes that some pupils reported occasional sexist or homophobic comments from peers, and that leaders were expected to strengthen the impact of the personal development curriculum in this area. That is an important ask for parents, what training and curriculum content has been implemented since, and how students are supported to report issues confidently.

For students with SEND, the report recognises strong specialist expertise and, at the same time, the need for consistent classroom use of SEND information. Families should ask how the SENCo and SEND team share strategies with subject staff, and what day-to-day classroom adaptation looks like in practice for their child.

Enrichment is framed through a programme the academy calls REACH, positioned as both personal development and interest-led activity. What stands out is the mix of practical, creative options and targeted academic support, which can help students find a reason to belong beyond timetabled lessons.

Some examples are deliberately distinctive rather than generic. The academy references Crochet Club and Chef’s Table, plus Band Club and Karaoke Club, alongside sport clubs such as Year 7 to 9 Boys Rugby, Girls Rugby, and Netball. Language enrichment is also described, including a French and German Film Club and Russian Exam Prep. These details matter, because they indicate that enrichment is not limited to one pillar such as sport, it has multiple routes for different personalities.

For older students, published club materials show more exam-linked and subject-linked sessions, which often become a key driver of progress in Years 10 and 11. The REACH material includes a GCSE 3D Design Club using workshop facilities, and a 7+ Maths Club for students interested in challenge and problem solving. Those are the kinds of opportunities that can shift outcomes for motivated students, particularly when they are matched with consistent attendance.

Facilities and design support that broader offer. A project description of the Brislington School building describes an internal street layout with house-style groupings, plus environmental features including natural ventilation, a biomass boiler, and rainwater harvesting. For students, that type of layout often makes year group identity and movement around the site more legible, which can reduce low-level friction in a large school day.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the usual school costs, including uniform, equipment, and optional trips.

The academy publishes a structured school day, including an arrival window beginning at 8:10am, with lessons organised through to a final period ending at 3:25pm, based on its published 2025 to 2026 timetable information. Term dates for 2025 to 2026 are also published, including a Year 7-only return day at the start of September, which can help families plan transition and logistics.

Open events are not always published as fixed dates, and the academy indicates that visits can be arranged, which is often a better way to understand behaviour, routines, and subject culture than a single crowded open evening.

• Stretch for the highest attainers. The inspection report notes that challenge for the most able was not always consistently strong. Families with a very high-attaining student should ask what has changed in curriculum planning and classroom practice since 2021, particularly at Key Stage 4.

• Consistency for SEND in mainstream lessons. The SEND resource base is described positively, but the report also flags that SEND information was not always used effectively by all teachers. Ask how strategies are shared and checked across subjects.

• Personal development culture. The report references occasional sexist or homophobic comments between pupils, with an expectation that curriculum delivery would be strengthened. Families may want to explore how this is handled day to day, including reporting routes and restorative work.

• Admissions changes for 2026. A published consultation proposes removing medical grounds from oversubscription criteria for September 2026. If your family circumstances are complex, read the determined arrangements carefully and seek advice early.

Oasis Academy Brislington is best understood as a large, structured, all-ability South Bristol secondary where calm classrooms, clear expectations, and a broad enrichment menu are core to the offer. The latest inspection outcome is Good, safeguarding practice is described as effective, and leadership has recently changed, which often brings a renewed focus on consistency and improvement.

Best suited to families who want an inclusive mainstream academy with strong routines and varied routes for students to engage, including practical clubs, creative options, and subject-linked support. Families with the highest-attaining students, or those with complex SEND needs, should use a visit to test how consistently challenge and adaptation are delivered across subjects and year groups.