Serving students from across northern Bristol and beyond, North Bristol Post 16 Centre offers sixth form education across two school sites in the city. The centre operates through what it calls ‘learning communities’, one based at Cotham School and one at Redland Green School, giving Year 12 and Year 13 students a choice of where to base themselves for their post-16 studies. It first opened its doors in September 2007, which was one year after Redland Green School itself had opened to Year 7 pupils for the first time.
Partner Schools and Admissions
The centre functions as the designated sixth form not only for Cotham School and Redland Green School, but also for a group of partner schools in the wider area. Those partner schools are Fairfield School, Henbury School, Orchard School Bristol, and Oasis Academy Brightstowe. Students finishing Year 11 at any of these schools have a clear route into the centre without needing to apply elsewhere. Beyond those partnerships, the centre also accepts applications from students attending other schools across the broader Bristol area, meaning it draws from a fairly wide catchment rather than a tightly defined zone.
How the Learning Communities Work
At the start of Year 12, each student chooses which of the two learning communities to join – either the one at Cotham School or the one at Redland Green School. That choice determines where a student is primarily based day to day. Both communities have their own student services team, which handles the welfare and support needs of pupils at that site. Each community is also led by an assistant headteacher who takes responsibility for the running of that particular site. Although students are part of the wider centre as a whole, they are simultaneously registered as pupils of whichever school they have chosen as their learning community, which gives them a connection to the broader life of that school rather than existing entirely separately from it.
Bristol Context
Bristol is a large city in the south-west of England with a substantial and growing population of young people. The demand for accessible, well-organised post-16 provision in the north of the city is reflected in the way North Bristol Post 16 Centre has been structured – spread across two established secondary schools rather than occupying a single standalone building. By using the existing infrastructure of Cotham School and Redland Green School, the centre allows students to benefit from the resources of those institutions while studying A levels or other qualifications in a dedicated sixth form environment.