Olympus Academy Trust is consulting on proposed changes to admission arrangements for some of its schools with effect from September 2025.
If approved, the changes would see the Year 7 intake of Abbeywood Community School permanently increased from 180 to 240. The Year 10 point of entry at the same school would also be removed.
As previously reported by the Patchway Journal, the Olympus trustees agreed a temporary intake ‘breach’ to 240 at Abbeywood for 2022/23 and 2023/24, but were insistent that an intake of this magnitude would be unsustainable without the provision of new accommodation.
Following confirmation of the additional funding needed to complete a new 10-classroom block and expansion of other facilities at Abbeywood, the Olympus trustees are now minded to make the increased Year 7 intake permanent.
The removal of the Year 10 point of entry is a consequence of Abbeywood absorbing its close neighbour, the Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy (BTEA), in September 2021.
The main changes proposed, as described in a briefing note published by the Trust, are:
- Abbeywood Community School is proposing to increase its Published Admission Number (PAN) for Year 7 from 180 to 240, following a firm commitment from the Local Authority to fund extra accommodation on site.
- Abbeywood Community School is also proposing to remove the Year 10 point of entry, as the extra students in current Years 7 to 9, and the increased PAN from 2025 will mean we cannot continue to take in more students at Key Stage 4.
- Olympus Post-16 Centres propose to reduce their Year 12 PAN for external candidates from 25 students to 5, based on increased uptake from internal candidates and ensuing Health and Safety considerations.
- As part of a Local Authority review of Areas of Prime Responsibility (APR) across the county, Olympus has been requested to extend to the East the existing Shared APR for Abbeywood Community School, Bradley Stoke Community School and Patchway Community School. The existing Shared APR, and the proposed extension, are shown on the map below.
Extension to Area of Prime Responsibility
Community School and Patchway Community School. The proposed extension is shown hatched.
The current Shared APR (outlined in pink) is defined by the M5 motorway to the north, the M4 motorway to the east, then west along B4057 until the B4427 at the Stoke Gifford Civil Parish boundary, then southwards along the Stoke Gifford Civil Parish boundary until Hambrook Lane, then east along Hambrook Lane until the M32 motorway, then southwards along the M32 motorway. At South Gloucestershire Council’s administrative boundary it then tracks westwards and northwards along South Gloucestershire Council’s administrative boundary until the railway line south of the former Filton Airfield, then northwards along Patchway Civil Parish boundary until the M5 motorway.
The hatched area currently falls within Marlwood School’s APR, but it is proposed to move it into the Shared APR for Abbeywood, Bradley Stoke and Patchway Community Schools.
Have your say
To view the full draft arrangements for all the trust’s schools, visit the Consultation on 2025/26 Admission Arrangements page on the Olympus Academy Trust website.
Any feedback should be sent to lisa.stevens@olympustrust.co.uk and will be considered by trustees before the final arrangements are determined.
The consultation period ends on 12th January 2024.
