Bridgemary School Review 2026: A calm, inclusive 11–16 school with a clear improvement agenda

A secondary school’s direction is often easiest to read in the everyday. Here, the headline is stability of expectations: a calm culture, positive relationships, and a consistent message about behaviour and safety. That matters, because the academic story is still catching up. Outcomes sit below England average on the latest available measures, and leaders are working on the fundamentals that usually move the dial, curriculum sequencing, classroom checking for understanding, and the support that helps weaker readers access the full curriculum.

Bridgemary is a mixed 11–16 academy within The Kemnal Academies Trust, serving Gosport families and coordinating admissions through Hampshire. For parents, the most important practical point is that demand exceeds supply. In the most recent admissions data provided, 228 applications competed for 151 offers, a ratio of 1.51 applications per place.

This is a school that places a premium on order and approachability. Pupils are described as happy and feeling safe, and the tone is notably inclusive rather than punitive. That matters for families who worry that improving schools can feel tense or transactional. The stronger signal here is that relationships are part of the operating model: pupils expect staff to listen, and the school’s behavioural expectations are framed as shared, not imposed.

Leadership sits within a trust context, and the trust layer is visible in how improvement is described. The school works with the trust on curriculum development and on the steps needed to strengthen achievement. For parents, that typically translates into a more standardised approach to teaching routines and staff development, with the potential benefit of clearer consistency across classrooms. The trade-off can be that change feels structured and deliberate rather than rapid, which is worth bearing in mind if you are hoping for quick headline shifts in results.

A final note on identity: the current academy opened in September 2012 on the site of its predecessor school, which is relevant mainly because it explains the governance model and the trust sponsorship.

The most important metric in the input dataset is Progress 8, because it reflects how much progress pupils make from their starting points across eight subjects. Here, the Progress 8 score is -1.01, which indicates well below average progress compared with similar pupils in England.

Attainment 8 is 32.7. The English Baccalaureate average point score is 2.53, and 1.2% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc measure provided.

On rankings, Bridgemary is ranked 3,727th in England and 3rd in Gosport for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places the school below England average, within the bottom 40% of secondary schools in England on this measure.

The key implication is straightforward. Families should assume that academic momentum is a current priority, not a banked strength. For many pupils that can still work well, especially where strong pastoral structures and clear routines support attendance and engagement. However, if your child is academically self-propelling and you are optimising purely for outcomes, you should treat this as a school where improvement work is still in flight, not complete.

The curriculum breadth is in place, with pupils studying the full range of national curriculum subjects and a suitable choice of options at key stage 4. The number of pupils taking the English Baccalaureate subject suite is also reported as increasing.

The more important detail is the “how”. Curriculum planning is described as clearer at the big-picture level than at the small-step level, the knowledge building blocks that help pupils with different starting points connect, remember, and apply learning over time. In lessons, teachers often introduce new material clearly and check understanding, but too often move on before dealing with misconceptions. The direct implication for pupils is patchy confidence and uneven quality of written work, because gaps accumulate quietly.

Reading is a specific focus. A reading culture is established, and pupils read regularly, including in tutor time. The challenge is targeted support for those who are not yet fluent readers. The school’s direction of travel is to strengthen the structured programme that identifies gaps and targets help. For parents of children with weaker literacy, this is worth discussing directly: ask what screening is used, how interventions are timetabled, and how progress is shared.

With an 11–16 age range and no sixth form, the “next step” conversation begins earlier than it does in 11–18 settings. The positive here is that careers education is not treated as a bolt-on. There is a comprehensive careers programme, including sessions with employers and local education and training providers, and an annual careers fair is part of the offer.

The careers plan also references structured encounters and guidance across year groups, and it explicitly points pupils towards post-16 options through assemblies, open events, and programme activity. Named touchpoints include taster days linked to Fareham, St Vincent, and Itchen sixth form colleges, alongside guidance interviews and skills workshops in key stage 4.

The implication for families is that, while headline exam outcomes are a work in progress, the school is putting meaningful effort into preparation for the next stage. If your child benefits from external motivation and practical planning, the careers strand is likely to feel supportive rather than generic.

Year 7 entry is coordinated by Hampshire. For September 2026 entry, applications opened on 08 September 2025 and the deadline was 31 October 2025, with national offer day on 02 March 2026.

The published admission number for Year 7 is 240. When applications exceed places, the admissions policy prioritises, in summary: looked after and previously looked after children; exceptional medical or psychological need supported by evidence; siblings; catchment; then distance measured in a straight line by the local authority system.

Demand, based on the provided dataset, is above capacity for the relevant entry route, with 228 applications for 151 offers. That pattern suggests you should treat the catchment and distance criteria seriously. A practical step is to use the FindMySchool Map Search tool to understand how your home location compares with likely demand patterns, then sanity-check against the local authority’s admissions guidance and the school’s policy wording.

Open events change year to year. Where published dates are not available, assume open evenings typically run early in the autumn term for Year 6 families, and confirm directly via official channels.

The pastoral picture is one of the school’s clearer strengths. Pupils report feeling safe, and relationships between pupils and staff are described as positive and respectful. Behaviour is also positioned as steady, with pupils behaving well in lessons and at social times, which matters because it creates the classroom conditions in which academic improvement can actually happen.

Personal development is another positive marker. Pupils learn about health, safety, relationships, and online life, and they discuss wider social topics with empathy. Leadership opportunities are part of that, alongside a careers programme that treats employability and next steps as integral rather than optional.

The latest Ofsted inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Some schools communicate enrichment through long public lists of clubs; that information is not consistently available through accessible official pages here. What is available still points to a school that values structured development beyond lessons. Pupils take on leadership roles and participate in a range of extra-curricular opportunities.

A distinctive strand is careers and employer engagement. The programme includes an annual Careers Fair and planned encounters across year groups, which can function like enrichment in practice because it broadens horizons and makes learning feel purposeful, especially for pupils who are motivated by “why does this matter”.

There is also evidence of STEM-oriented activity in the wider ecosystem around the school. For example, an engineering institution has referenced engagement linked to the school’s STEM club in the context of outreach activity. Families should expect these programmes to evolve year to year, but it is a useful signal that the school has been a viable partner for external educational organisations.

Bridgemary is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the usual extras, uniform, trips, and optional activities, which vary by year group and participation choices.

Where official timetables and wraparound details are not published in accessible sources, confirm start and finish times directly before committing to transport or childcare arrangements. For travel planning, Hampshire points families to its journey-planning support, which is useful for comparing bus and walking options.

• Academic outcomes remain the main challenge. The Progress 8 score of -1.01 indicates that pupils, on average, have been making below average progress compared with similar pupils in England. This is improving-school territory rather than “set and forget”.

• Curriculum consistency is still being tightened. Planning is clearer on end goals than on the small-step knowledge that secures learning for pupils with different starting points. In practice, that can mean uneven experience between subjects while improvement work beds in.

• Reading support is a key question for some families. A reading culture is in place, but support for weaker readers is explicitly identified as an area to strengthen. If literacy is a concern, ask for specifics on assessment, intervention intensity, and how impact is tracked.

• Admission is competitive for the entry route shown. With the provided admissions figures showing more applications than offers, it is sensible to keep realistic alternatives in your application mix and to understand how catchment and distance are applied in practice.

Bridgemary School offers a calm, inclusive environment with clear behavioural expectations and a notably structured approach to personal development and careers. The limiting factor is academic performance, where curriculum and classroom consistency work is still underway.

Who it suits: families seeking a supportive 11–16 school with stable routines, a strong focus on safety and personal development, and practical preparation for post-16 pathways, particularly where the child benefits from clear structure and encouragement. Families prioritising top academic outcomes above all else should look closely at the improvement plan in action and compare alternatives locally using FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools.