Bedminster Down School

What Bedminster Down School does

Bedminster Down School is a state-funded secondary academy located on Donald Road in south Bristol (BS13 7DQ), serving students aged 11-16 across Years 7-11. Founded in 1955, the school is a member of the Futura Learning Partnership multi-academy trust, which operates 26 schools serving nearly 12,000 children with 1,500 staff across the South West of England. It delivers a broad curriculum including a three-year Key Stage 3 prior to GCSE option choices in Year 9, with vocational and traditional GCSE pathways, and operates a four-house pastoral system (Blackwell, James, More, Southey). The school has been oversubscribed for five consecutive years.

The school's technology stack centres on Bromcom as the management information system and student portal, integrated with the MCAS (MyChildAtSchool) parent portal for real-time academic, attendance, and behaviour reporting. CPOMS supports safeguarding and pastoral recording, while GCSE Pod, Tassomai (Science), and Sparx (Maths) provide adaptive and personalised homework tooling. SchoolCloud handles parents' evening bookings, ParentPay processes online payments, and Microsoft SharePoint underpins staff and student launchpads. Curriculum delivery follows the cross-phase Futura Curriculum framework spanning ages 2-19.

As a state-funded academy, Bedminster Down School does not charge tuition fees. Revenue is derived primarily from UK Government funding via the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), with ancillary transaction-based income from paid school meals, uniform pass-through via supplier Harris Sports, and examination fees. The school reports improving KS4 outcomes in 2025 — Attainment 8 of 41.7, 38.7% Grade 5+ in English and Maths, 59.7% Grade 4+ — with 85% of pupils progressing to education, apprenticeships, or employment.

Name

Bedminster Down School

Legal name

Bedminster Down School

Website

https://bedminsterdown.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bedminster Down School is a state-funded secondary academy in south Bristol, serving students aged 11-16 (Years 7-11) as part of the Futura Learning Partnership multi-academy trust. It delivers GCSE-level education funded by the UK Government via the ESFA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. State Funding (Government-funded Education): Bedminster Down School is a state-funded academy within the Futura Learning Partnership. Core education is funded by the UK Government through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The school does not charge tuition fees for statutory education.
2. Catering and Free School Meals: Revenue from catering services for paid school meals. Eligibility for Free School Meals is assessed based on household benefit receipt (Income Support, JSA, ESA, Child Tax Credit, etc.).
3. Uniform Sales: School uniform is supplied through Harris Sports. Revenue is generated from uniform purchases by parents/carers.
4. Examination Fees: Examination fees are charged for external GCSE and other formal examinations, likely passed through to examination boards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bedminster Down School is a state-funded mixed-gender secondary academy school delivering education to students aged 11-16 (Years 7-11) in south Bristol. It offers a broad and balanced curriculum across Key Stage 3 (3-year programme before option choices) and Key Stage 4 leading to GCSE and equivalent qualifications, supported by SEND provision, pastoral care through a four-house system, careers education aligned to the Gatsby Benchmarks, and supplementary paid services including school meals and uniform supply.

Product overview

Bedminster Down School provides secondary education services as part of the Futura Learning Partnership multi-academy trust. The school's technology portfolio includes the Bromcom Student Portal for homework management and learning resources, integrated with the MCAS (MyChildAtSchool) parent portal for real-time academic monitoring. Online learning is supported through multiple digital homework platforms including GCSE Pod, Tassomai for Science, and Sparx for Maths. The school uses SchoolCloud for parents' evening bookings, CPOMS for pastoral support, and Microsoft SharePoint for staff and student portals. Educational delivery follows the Futura Curriculum framework spanning ages 2-19, and the school maintains a well-stocked library with computer facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Education (Years 7-11)

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of pupils stayed in education or went on to apprenticeships or employment (2025 KS4)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Futura Learning PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBedminster Down School is an academy within the Futura Learning Partnership, a multi-academy trust in the South West of England. Futura Learning Partnership employs 1,500 staff and serves nearly 12,000 children across 26 schools. The trust provides shared governance, policies, professional development, curriculum frameworks (Futura Curriculum), HR, finance, and operational support. The trust is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee (company number 07746787), with registered office at Chandag Road, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1PH.
• National Online SafetysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school has a partnership with National Online Safety to provide parents and carers with up-to-date guides for social media apps and platforms to help keep children safe online. Guides cover apps including FIFA, Fortnite, Instagram, Minecraft, Roblox, Snapchat, TikTok, WhatsApp, YouTube, and topics such as grooming and screen addiction.
• BromcomcoreTechnology or IntegrationBromcom provides the school's Management Information System (MIS), student portal for homework management, and the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). The Bromcom cloud platform is used for student data, timetabling, and assessment. Parents access student data through MCAS (MyChildAtSchool) which is integrated with Bromcom.
• CPOMScoreTechnology or IntegrationCPOMS (Child Protection Online Management System) is used by Bedminster Down School for safeguarding and pastoral care recording. It enables staff to record, monitor, and manage safeguarding concerns and pastoral issues for students.
• GCSE PodsupportingTechnology or IntegrationGCSE Pod is an online revision and learning resource used across a variety of subjects at Bedminster Down School for homework and independent study.
• TassomaisupportingTechnology or IntegrationTassomai is used specifically for Science homework at Bedminster Down School, providing adaptive learning and revision support for students.
• SparxsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSparx is used for Maths homework at Bedminster Down School, providing personalised maths learning and homework support.
• SchoolCloudsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSchoolCloud is used for parents' and carers' evening appointment booking. It allows parents to book appointments online for in-school parents' evenings. The school has returned to in-person parents' evenings managed through this platform.
• Harris SportssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHarris Sports is the school's uniform supplier. They provide school-branded uniform including black sweatshirts with embroidered badge and logo, and white polo shirts with embroidered badge and logo.
• ParentPaysupportingTechnology or IntegrationParentPay is the school's online payment system used by parents and carers to pay for school meals, trips, and other services.
• West of England Careers HubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school's careers programme is reviewed bi-termly in conjunction with representatives from the West of England Careers Hub and Enterprise Advisors from the private sector. The careers programme is measured against Gatsby Benchmarks.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Oasis Community Learning: Large UK multi-academy trust operating secondary academies including in Bristol; comparable trust-scale operating model and central-services structure.
• Reach Academy Trust: South West-based multi-academy trust operating secondary provision; geographic and structural comparator on Bristol/South West academy trust operations.
• Futura Learning Partnership: Parent multi-academy trust (26 schools, ~12,000 pupils) of which Bedminster Down is a member; sets curriculum, governance and shared services framework that defines how the school operates.
• United Learning: Major UK multi-academy trust with a wide secondary school portfolio; relevant comparator on trust-level curriculum, professional development and back-office scale.

Direct peers

• Bristol Metropolitan Academy: Secondary academy in the Bristol area delivering KS3/KS4 within an academy trust structure; comparable cohort, curriculum and funding model.
• Cotham School: Bristol secondary school competing for the same city-wide pupil pool; relevant benchmark on KS4 outcomes and parental preference.
• Orchard School Bristol: State-funded secondary school in south Bristol, similar mixed-gender 11-16 cohort, competing for the same catchment families. Closest like-for-like comparator on geography, age range and admissions posture.
• Redland Green School: Bristol secondary school serving a comparable 11-18 cohort; useful comparator on attainment outcomes and curriculum breadth.
• Oasis Academy Brislington: Bristol academy secondary school on a similar footprint, competing directly for south Bristol pupils and operating with comparable academy funding dynamics.
• Ashton Park School: Secondary school in south Bristol serving a similar 11-16 demographic; competes for the same parental pool and pupil admissions within the BS3/BS13 corridor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bdownschool

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bedminster Down School