Kieran Smith 

Head of Sixth Form 

A warm welcome to Bristol Free School Sixth Form – a centre of excellence for post-16 education which opened in 2016 and has consistently secured exam outcomes which are higher than the national and regional averages. The Times recently recognised us as having the 5th highest A-Level and GCSE Results amongst all comprehensive schools in the southwest of England.

'Sixth Form students have good support from knowledgeable staff who help them apply for university places' Ofsted, 2022

Community
Our Sixth Form is small enough for every student to be known, supported and championed. All students work closely with their tutor and subject teachers to ensure that they are making good progress and are supported pastorally – every student is treated as an individual member of the BFS family. 

Ambition
At BFS, we set the highest expectations and academic ambitions for all of our students. In 2024, 40% of students were accepted onto courses at Russell Group universities compared to a national average of 27%. This was due to results which were significantly above the national average - with 31% of grades at A*, A, Distinction* or Distinction, and 82% of grades at C or above (compared to a national average of 76%). Since 2019, we have also consistently secured excellent outcomes that were higher than the national and regional averages. Further, since our inception, eight of our students have accepted university places at Oxford or Cambridge and, in the last two years, 100% of our Medicine applicants have secured places at university. We will provide you with expert teaching staff, with two dedicated study spaces, with an exclusive café and with personalised university and apprenticeship application support. 

Opportunity
Our Sixth Form is open to all students, and we celebrate diversity of all kinds. Students are encouraged to take part in a wide range of enrichment activities including sport, performing and creative arts, outdoor education and peer mentoring. This does not only make your time at BFS Sixth Form more rewarding and fulfilling but will also strengthen the depth of your CV or university application. Ultimately, BFS is an ambitious school which works to ensure every student makes excellent progress from his or her starting point and experiences a breadth of opportunities which develop the whole person. 

I look forward to welcoming you to our Sixth Form community.