Oasis Academy Temple Quarter is a relatively new state secondary, opened in September 2023, and still building year by year. That matters for families reading performance tables, because GCSE and A level outcomes will not be available until the oldest cohorts reach those exams. The early story is therefore about intent, routines, staffing, and whether the school’s offer feels credible for the long term.
It is part of Oasis Community Learning, and positions itself as inclusive and community-facing. A notable practical feature is how the school has adapted cohort sizes while operating from a temporary site, with published admission numbers currently lower than the eventual capacity.
Leadership is clearly signposted on the school website. Richard James is listed as Principal, and internal school documents also show him holding Head of School responsibilities from early 2023, which gives families a useful anchor point for continuity in a start-up phase.
This is a school in “build mode”, with the organisation and culture of a new institution still being established. The tone on the school’s own pages leans strongly into inclusion, student voice, and consistent routines, with an explicit focus on a disruption-free classroom so teachers can teach and students can learn.
The timetable structure reinforces that message. Tutor time starts the day, then a daily Personal Development block follows immediately, before the main lessons begin. For families, that sequencing is a signal that behaviour, habits, relationships, and wider development are treated as core rather than optional add-ons.
Leadership roles are unusually transparent for a new school, with named responsibility for culture and safeguarding, teaching and learning, personal development and careers, and SEND coordination. Parents weighing a new provider often worry about “who owns what”, and a clearly defined team can reduce that uncertainty.
This is currently a data-light school for headline exam outcomes.
For parents, the right question at this stage is not “how do the GCSE grades compare”, but “are the foundations in place to make strong results plausible later”. Indicators worth checking in a visit or open event include: clarity of behaviour routines, reading and literacy expectations, curriculum sequencing, and whether support for SEND and wellbeing is operational rather than aspirational. The school’s stated model, including daily Personal Development and a structured enrichment entitlement, is aligned with that early-stage focus.
Families comparing local options can still use FindMySchool’s local comparison tools to track outcomes as soon as published results appear, and to compare with other Bristol secondaries on the same measures.
The school frames its curriculum through the Oasis model, referencing research on memory and the “science of learning”, alongside character development and citizenship. In practical terms, families should read this as a promise of explicit teaching, revisiting knowledge over time, and a deliberate approach to learning habits, rather than a loose, project-only model.
The published daily structure supports that interpretation. Lessons are organised into clear periods, with a consistent break and lunch window, and a final slot that is explicitly set aside for extracurricular and homework club. That last piece can be meaningful for families where home study space, routines, or supervision are a challenge, because it builds independent study time into the school day.
Because the school is still rolling year groups upwards, subject breadth and staffing depth will expand over time. A sensible admissions question for prospective families is how GCSE options will be phased in, and how the school will manage staffing and specialist spaces as cohorts grow.
With Sixth Form listed as part of the planned age range, the long-term intent is clearly 11 to 18 provision.
For families with older children already in the system, the key consideration is transition planning while the school matures. In the early years of a new secondary, many students will still move elsewhere at 16, simply because a full post-16 offer takes time to establish. Parents should ask what the Sixth Form timeline is, what courses are planned, and what partnerships are in place during the build period.
Year 7 entry is coordinated through Bristol City Council rather than directly through the school. Applications for September 2026 open on 12 September 2025, with the final date for on-time applications on 31 October 2025. Offers are issued on 2 March 2026, and families must respond by 16 March 2026.
Demand data indicates the school is oversubscribed on the Year 7 route, with 335 applications for 117 offers, which is about 2.86 applications per place. That is meaningful competition, even before the school reaches full size.
The school also explains that admission numbers have been reduced at present due to delays to the permanent site, which can tighten availability compared with the long-term plan. If you are considering an in-year move, it is worth checking how waiting lists are managed for the relevant year group.
Open events follow a predictable pattern, with tours typically running in July and a major Open Evening in October. For the current cycle, the school advertises an Open Evening on Thursday 9 October 2025, 17:00 to 19:00.
89.9%
1st preference success rate
80 of 89 first-choice applicants received an offer
Places
117
Offers
117
Applications
335
Pastoral strength is mostly about systems, not slogans, especially in a new school. The clearest published signals here are the dedicated leadership responsibility for culture and safeguarding, a named SENCO, and the school’s stated commitment to access to mental health support as part of its enrichment entitlement.
The timetable also gives practical space for pastoral work, with tutor time and daily Personal Development. That format typically allows schools to run structured routines around attendance, behaviour expectations, anti-bullying work, relationships and sex education, careers exposure, and community participation without squeezing it into the margins.
Parents who prioritise wellbeing should ask how the school identifies and supports vulnerable students, what the escalation route is for concerns, and how the school works with families, particularly during the early years when policies are still bedding in.
Enrichment is one of the most distinctive parts of the offer, and it is unusually well-defined for a new school.
After-school clubs (in the published Term 1 and 2 offer) include Debate Club, Coding Club, Astronomy Club, Rowing, Running Club, and Axiom Maths, alongside art and sport options. All after-school clubs in that offer run 15:30 to 16:20, which helps families plan pick-up and travel.
The most interesting structural choice is “Choices”, a weekly enrichment slot scheduled on Thursday mornings (09:00 to 09:45) with the stated aim that every student takes part, designed partly to avoid transport pinch points later in the day. Options in the published “Choices Round 1” include Garageband, Comic Book Design, Graphic Design, Chess, Creative Writing, and Science Club. For families, the implication is that enrichment is not only for students who can stay late, it is embedded into the week for everyone.
The school also sets out an “Oasis Entitlement”, including participation in a production, playing an instrument, visits to cultural venues, and a residential trip during a student’s time at the academy. If delivered consistently, this matters for equity, because it reduces the gap between students whose families can self-organise experiences and those who rely on school provision.
The school day, based on the timetable published from 23 March 2026, begins with tutor time at 08:45 and ends at 15:50, with the final period allocated to extracurricular and homework club. Lunch is built into the middle of the day, with staggered arrangements noted for different year groups in the published timetable.
There is no tuition fee, as this is a state school. Families should still budget for the usual secondary costs such as uniform, equipment, optional trips, and any optional music tuition.
For travel, the school highlights proximity to Bristol Temple Meads station and nearby bus stops, which is relevant for older students travelling independently.
Food is cooked on site with vegetarian and Halal options, and the school sets clear expectations on healthy packed lunches and a no energy drinks rule.
New school, limited published outcomes. With an opening date of September 2023, exam and destination data will take time to emerge. Families should focus on routines, teaching quality indicators, and leadership stability.
Oversubscription pressure. Demand data indicates more applicants than places on the Year 7 route. If you are relying on a place, apply on time and rank preferences realistically.
Cohort size adjustments during the temporary-site phase. The school states it has reduced admission numbers due to delays to the permanent site, which can affect availability and year-group balance.
Permanent building timeline. Construction reporting points to a planned permanent site opening around September 2027, which means the student experience may change materially as facilities expand.
Oasis Academy Temple Quarter is a developing Bristol secondary that is still early in its life cycle. The strongest evidence-based positives are clarity of leadership roles, a timetable that makes space for personal development, and an unusually structured enrichment model designed to include every student. Admission is the obstacle; the education will be judged over time as cohorts reach exam years. Best suited to families who want a community-focused state secondary and are comfortable evaluating a school on culture, routines, and trajectory, rather than established exam track record.
It is too early to judge by published GCSE and A level outcomes, because the school opened in September 2023 and is still building cohorts upward. The more useful short-term indicators are how well behaviour routines run, how strong teaching feels day to day, and whether the enrichment and support promises are visible in practice through the timetable and weekly provision.
Applications are made through Bristol City Council’s coordinated admissions process. For September 2026, applications open on 12 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 2 March 2026.
The figures indicate an oversubscribed Year 7 entry route, with 335 applications and 117 offers, around 2.86 applications per place. This can vary each year, but it suggests competition for places.
The published timetable from 23 March 2026 shows tutor time starting at 08:45 and the day ending at 15:50, with a final period set aside for extracurricular and homework club.
The school publishes both after-school clubs and a weekly “Choices” enrichment slot designed so every student participates. Examples include Debate Club, Coding Club, Astronomy Club, Rowing, Axiom Maths, Garageband, Comic Book Design, and Creative Writing.
Get in touch with the school directly
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