Bristol Brunel Academy

Last updated

Bristol Brunel Academy
Bristol Brunel Academy logo.png
Location
Bristol Brunel Academy
Speedwell Road

Bristol
,
BS15 1NU

England
Coordinates 51°28′05″N2°31′40″W / 51.4680°N 2.5278°W / 51.4680; -2.5278
Information
Type Secondary Academy
Established2007
TrustCabot Learning Federation
Department for Education URN 135300 Tables
Ofsted Reports
PrincipalJen Cusack
Gender Mixed
Age11to 19
Enrolment1189
Capacity1180 (Data from January 2016)
Website https://bristolbrunelacademy.clf.uk

Bristol Brunel Academy is a mixed sex Secondary Academy, located in Speedwell in the ward of Hillfields, Bristol, England. The academy is named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The Academy is part of the Cabot Learning Federation which is sponsored by the University of the West of England and Rolls-Royce.

Contents

History

The site was originally the location of 2 single sex schools which became a mixed sex school called Speedwell Secondary School in the 1960s. A large part of the school burnt down in the mid 1970s, temporary classrooms were used while the school was rebuilt. The school became the first specialist school in Bristol when it changed to a technology college in 1997. The original buildings were in use up to July 2007 after which all the old school was completely demolished. Building for the new academy was undertaken on the site of the existing school in early 2006 by the construction company Skanska. The academy was officially opened in September 2007 by the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Ed Balls. [1] The main school building was designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects. [2]

Brigid Allen was the former Principal of the Academy. Guy Keith-Miller is the Chair of the Council.

Academic achievement

The school has improved its results over the period from 2008 and achieved its best ever GCSE score in 2014. The table below shows the percentage of students gaining 5 A*-C including English and Mathematics. [3] The results of other LEA schools in the Bristol area are, on average, 10% higher than this.

200820092010201120122013201420152016
35%25%45%41%45%45%48%44%55%

Controversy

In September 2025, a planned visit to the academy by Damien Egan, the Labour Member of Parliament for Bristol North East, was cancelled. According to reports in The Telegraph, the visit was withdrawn following objections raised by the Bristol branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, alongside concerns reportedly expressed by staff representatives affiliated with the National Education Union. [4]

The cancellation attracted national political attention. Steve Reed (politician), the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, described the decision as “an outrage” in comments to Jewish News, stating that an elected MP had been prevented from visiting a school in his own constituency. [5]

The Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign publicly welcomed the cancellation, describing it in a social media post as “a win for safeguarding”, citing concerns from parents, staff and community members regarding the proposed visit. [6]

As of January 2026, Bristol Brunel Academy, the National Education Union and Mr Egan had not publicly commented on the circumstances of the cancellation.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "Remarkable turnaround for Speedwell school". Bristol Post. 9 September 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Bristol Brunel Academy". WilkinsonEyre. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "The Department for Education - Performance Tables - School Details". Education.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Gibbons, Amy (12 January 2026). "Jewish MP banned from school amid pro-Palestine protest" . The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Revealed: Labour MP Egan forced to cancel school visit after anti-Israel teaching union campaign". Jewish News. January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Facebook post on cancelled school visit". Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Bristol branch). 5 September 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Jay, Mike; Byrne, Stephen (1994). Pirates in Profile: A Who's Who of Bristol Rovers Players. Bristol: Potten, Baber & Murray. p. 252. ISBN   0-9524835-0-5.
  8. ↑ "Bristol - People - Profile: Justin Lee Collins". BBC. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2013.


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