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Kingsmead Academy

Secondary · Taunton · TA4 2NE

Data updated

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Requires improvement

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: Requires improvementBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: Requires improvementSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 3 December 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

892 pupils · 85% of 1,050 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–16
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
19.1% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
2.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
13% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
https://kingsmeadacademy.clf.uk/
URN
136639

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 141 families named it first for 167 Year 7 places, 0.84 first choices per place. At its inspection on 3 December 2024 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Requires improvement. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 10.8% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.84 first-choice applications per place

167 places offered · 141 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

GCSE results (2024/2025)

169 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
43.8
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
62.1%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
39.1%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.1
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school43.8
Median of its 12 closest peers42.2
Somerset average44.3
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
South Axholme AcademyDoncaster · 201 miles awayGood53.2
William Edwards SchoolGrays · 161 miles awayNeeds attention42.5
Chailey SchoolLewes · 143 miles awayExpected standard49.3
Thurstable SchoolColchester · 183 miles awayGood41.9
Manor SchoolWellingborough · 149 miles awayInadequate40
Bungay High SchoolBungay · 225 miles awayExpected standard41.7
Hastings High SchoolHinckley · 133 miles awayGood48.5
Court Fields SchoolWellington · 5 miles awayGood42.8
Huxlow AcademyIrthlingborough · 146 miles awayRequires improvement41.9
Wrotham SchoolSevenoaks · 158 miles awayGood (2019)39.5
Alleyne's AcademyStone · 139 miles awayNo current grade47.7
Lift MaltingsWitham · 178 miles awayNeeds attention39.9

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 79% (Somerset 81%, England 59%) · Not recorded 12% (Somerset 4%, England 2%) · Any other White background 4% (Somerset 6%, England 7%) · Black African 1% (Somerset 2%, England 5%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Somerset 1%, England 3%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Somerset 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Somerset 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
10.8%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
29%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

52.22 suspensions per 100 pupils and 3 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Somerset: 38.46 suspensions and 0.30 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
18.6
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

81% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 7% moved to another state school · 12% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

66.1% of teachers took sickness absence, 7 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £52,710; 17.2% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
89%
Continuing in education
78%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
6%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
5/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
5/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher32.4%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications17.1%18.1%
In managerial or professional work29.2%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways16.8%18.1%
Residents in very good health42.6%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier63.5%62.3%
Social housing20.4%17.1%
Privately rented16.2%20.5%
Detached houses20.4%22.9%
Flats16.8%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms18.6%21.1%
Households with no car or van13.2%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01029320 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£267,500105 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£195,000–£355,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (29)£380,000
Semi-detached (22)£275,000
Terraced (45)£230,000
Flat (9)£155,000

Homes around this school are cheaper than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0a rural school averages 0.3
Collisions at school-run times
0a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
1a rural school averages 3.4
Of those, serious or fatal
1a rural school averages 0.9

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools