About Our Academy

About Our Academy

Fishponds Church of England Academy is a large and exciting inner city Church of England Primary School in the vibrant city of Bristol. We are a rich and diverse community, with many different religions, cultures and languages and it is this diversity that complements and enriches our inclusive ethos. Children and families of all faiths, and none, and of all backgrounds are welcomed equally. 

Fishponds has a real community feel to it, with numerous local shops, cafés and businesses. We are truly lucky to have Snuff Mills and Oldbury Court Park just a short walk away, we try to make the most of our local area and community as much as possible. The centre of the city, with its wide range of historical sites, shops, art galleries and attractions is only a short trip away. The Academy enjoys a positive relationship with all members of the community including local secondary schools and in particular with the two parishes of St Mary’s and All Saints, both in Fishponds.

The school itself was originally formed in September 2000 following the amalgamation of two former Church of England schools when some additions to the building were made. In September 2012 we became an Academy, changing our name from St Matthias and Dr Bell's CE VA Primary School to Fishponds Church of England Academy, one of the first Voluntary Aided Primary Schools to become a sponsored Academy in the country.

Facilities

Facilities include two multi-purpose halls and a number of mobile suites of laptop computers and iPads which allows whole class teaching throughout each age group. We have wireless access around the whole school grounds meaning we can be very flexible where we learn. We love to use our grounds to work in too! The school is well equipped with audio/visual aids, teaching resources, interactive Clevertouch screens and we have a small number of laptops in all classrooms too to enhance learning.

We are blessed with expansive grounds and have a large field surrounding the school. We have an Exploration Zone with natural play spaces, nature areas for exploring bugs and insects alongside trees for summer shade. Large playground areas accommodate basketball, football, cricket as well as climbing frames.

For use at lunchtimes, we have a fantastic PlayPod from the ScrapStore to help children's creative play and to ensure they have fun.

Our Reception classes have a fantastic outdoor learning area complete with zoned areas for exploring and extending their learning. You might find our Reception children busy playing in the mud kitchen looking for bugs and insects or perhaps watching our vegetables grow. There are zones for water play, construction, using wheeled vehicles as well as space to perform and create.