The Bishop David Brown School Review 2026: Inclusive 11–16 academy with standout leisure and performing arts facilities

There is a clear sense of pride here, helped by a house system that channels competition into effort, participation, and belonging. Students describe the school as inclusive and welcoming, with calm classrooms and strong relationships with staff.

The school is a mixed 11–16 academy in Woking (Surrey), and is part of Unity Schools Trust. The March 2024 Ofsted inspection confirmed the school continues to be Good.

A practical differentiator is the on-site access to substantial leisure and sports provision, alongside specialist performing arts spaces. Swimming is built into physical education, and the theatre and music facilities are unusually well specified for a state secondary.

The strongest impression is of a school that wants students to feel known and supported, without lowering expectations. A nurturing strand runs alongside mainstream lessons, including dedicated spaces such as the spirit room and garden, used by students who need a quieter, regulated environment during the day.

Belonging is not left to chance. The house system is positioned as a day-to-day organiser of community life, with effort-based challenges and rewards that make participation visible, even for students who are not drawn to the loudest extracurriculars. That combination tends to suit families who want structure and routine, especially where a child benefits from predictable expectations and clear recognition for sustained effort.

Diversity is treated as normal rather than as a bolt-on theme. The school highlights cultural events, including Japanese and International Days, and presents these as community-building moments rather than one-off showcases. For parents, the implication is a school that is trying to build cohesion across a wide mix of backgrounds, with events used to reinforce respect and social confidence.

Leadership is currently shown publicly as Ms C Venter (Principal). The wider governance and accountability sit within Unity Schools Trust, which also provides professional development structures such as subject forums and trust adviser support.

On published GCSE performance indicators, outcomes sit broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England. Ranked 2,683rd in England and 6th in Woking for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the picture is consistent with a school that is securely established, with scope to keep sharpening consistency across subjects.

Attainment 8 is 43.4, which gives a useful overall snapshot of GCSE outcomes across a student’s best eight subjects. Progress 8 is 0.03, indicating progress broadly in line with expectations from students’ starting points.

EBacc average point score is 3.65, a signal that the EBacc pathway is not a dominant route for the cohort, and that curriculum planning and options guidance matter a great deal for families who want a strongly academic subject mix.

The curriculum is presented as broad and carefully sequenced, with deliberate efforts to remove barriers to ambition, including additional help for students who need targeted support in literacy and numeracy. That matters for parents who worry about gaps from primary school, because it points to a school that tries to intervene early rather than letting small difficulties harden into long-term underachievement.

Subject design is described in practical terms, rather than slogans. History, for example, is structured chronologically and makes use of local context, which is a helpful anchor for students who learn best when knowledge is connected to place and story.

Classroom routines appear intentionally consistent. Teaching approaches include short recall activities, alongside structured checking of understanding using set formats. The implication is a school aiming to build dependable learning habits, which can be particularly valuable for students who benefit from clear, repeatable lesson patterns.

There is also an honest acknowledgement that some approaches are still embedding, and that teaching quality is not perfectly uniform across all subjects. For families, this is the key nuance. The direction of travel is coherent, but the day-to-day experience may vary depending on subject area and staffing stability.

Reading is positioned as a priority, with daily DEAR sessions (Drop Everything and Read) used to build fluency, vocabulary, and confidence, including reading aloud to strengthen oracy. Students who struggle with reading are identified quickly and supported through interventions, including for those who speak English as an additional language.

This matters because it frames literacy as everyone’s business, not just English. In practical terms, a stronger reading culture supports science, humanities, and GCSE exam technique, particularly for students who find extended writing demanding.

As an 11–16 school, the key transition is post-16. Careers education is described as a structured programme that raises awareness of multiple pathways, including apprenticeships and universities, and helps students understand options in their local community.

For parents planning ahead, the important question is fit at 16. Students who thrive here typically do so because they have had consistent routines, a stable pastoral base, and clear guidance on next steps. Families can support that by starting post-16 conversations early in Year 10, mapping options across sixth forms and colleges, and then aligning GCSE choices to likely pathways.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through Surrey County Council, with on-time applications for September 2026 entry closing on 31 October 2025. Offers for Surrey’s September 2026 intake were scheduled for 02 March 2026, reflecting the local authority’s annual offer cycle.

The published admission number is 150 for Year 7. Oversubscription criteria place looked-after and previously looked-after children first, then exceptional social or medical need (with professional evidence), then eligible children of staff, then siblings, and finally distance. Distance is measured in a straight line to the nearest school gate, using the local authority’s geographic system.

Local demand looks real. In Surrey’s published information for allocations for September 2025, the school showed 359 preferences for 150 places, and the last allocated place under distance was at 3.959km. This is exactly where FindMySchool’s Map Search is useful, because small differences in measured distance can be decisive in oversubscribed years.

Open events for Year 7 entry typically run in early autumn. Surrey’s guidance for the September 2026 intake points families to the school website for the most up to date open evening arrangements.

Pastoral care is framed as practical, not sentimental. Students with SEND are described as fully included in school life, supported through tailored approaches and the use of information from education, health and care plans to adapt learning.

Behaviour is described as polite and respectful, supporting calm learning. Where students struggle to self-regulate, the approach is described as supportive and effective, helping students return to learning rather than escalating situations. Ofsted also confirmed safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The personal, social and health education programme covers sensitive themes such as consent, harassment, and online safety, and is positioned as a core part of keeping students safe and ready for adult life.

Extracurricular life is a genuine strength because it is supported by facilities, not just goodwill. On-site leisure provision includes a 25m swimming pool, a hydrotherapy pool, a 3G sports pitch, a five-court sports hall, and multiple grass pitches, with swimming integrated into physical education. For many families, that is a rare offer in a state secondary, and it can be especially attractive for students who gain confidence through physical activity or who enjoy structured sport as part of their week.

Performing arts provision is similarly concrete. The theatre is described as a black-box style space with retractable seating for 150, with flexibility for different staging formats and integrated lighting and sound connectivity. Music provision includes a main teaching space with 30 electronic keyboards, practice rooms, and a recording studio, which supports both performance and digital production.

Clubs and enrichment are not presented as one-size-fits-all. Students have access to varied options, including chess and debating, as well as school-run cultural events. The school also lists weekly enrichment examples such as Journalism Club, Jewellery Making, and Swimming, which suggests a deliberate attempt to cater for interests that sit outside mainstream sport. Enrichment can run up to 5.00pm, which is helpful for working families who value structured after-school options.

As a Woking secondary, the practical pattern for many families is a mixed travel-to-school picture, with a blend of walking, cycling, and public transport depending on where you live. Surrey’s distance-based allocations show that small location differences can matter in oversubscribed years, so it is worth checking your measured home-to-gate distance rather than relying on map estimates.

The school publishes that enrichment and clubs can run up to 5.00pm. Exact start and finish times for the standard school day are not consistently published in the core materials, so families should confirm the current timetable directly with the school.

• Results are broadly mid-range for England on published GCSE indicators. The school sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England on GCSE outcomes. This can suit families seeking stability and strong pastoral structures, but those aiming for a strongly academic, EBacc-heavy pathway should scrutinise options and subject guidance carefully.

• Consistency across subjects is still a live improvement area. Teaching approaches and knowledge checks are being embedded, and expertise is described as more variable in some recently developed subject areas. The implication is that students may have different experiences depending on their subject mix.

• Admission is competitive in some years. In September 2025 allocations, demand exceeded places, and the last distance allocation was 3.959km. Families who are undecided should plan a realistic set of preferences rather than assuming a place will follow from proximity alone.

• No on-site sixth form. Students will transition elsewhere at 16. For some families this is ideal, giving a fresh start and wider subject choice, but others prefer the continuity of a 11–18 setting.

The Bishop David Brown School is best understood as a community-focused 11–16 academy with a calm culture, thoughtful inclusion, and facilities that materially widen what a state secondary can offer, particularly in sport, swimming, and performing arts. It will suit families who want a structured environment, strong relationships with staff, and a school that puts tangible support in place for students who need it. The key decision points are admissions competitiveness in some years, and the fact that post-16 progression requires a planned move to another provider.