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The Kings of Wessex Academy

Secondary · Cheddar · BS27 3AQ

Data updated

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No current grade

Ungraded inspection: no current grade

Ofsted's most recent visit was an ungraded inspection; its outcome was “Standards maintained”. Since September 2024 these outcomes no longer confirm a named grade. No graded inspection appears in Ofsted's records for this school since 2015 either, so SchoolFacts shows no grade rather than guessing. Any earlier grade is on the school's Ofsted report page.

Inspected 6 November 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,043 pupils · 87% of 1,194 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
13–18
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
14.1% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
3.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
7.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
0.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.kowessex.co.uk/
URN
136783

In figures

In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 10.1% of sessions, against 6.6% across England. It had 1,043 pupils at the 15 January 2026 census.

GCSE results (2024/2025)

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

Attainment 8 score
48.7
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
74.3%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
53.7%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.3
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.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) B-
36
England 35

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

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school48.7
Median of its 12 closest peers55.1
Somerset average44.3
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is behind 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
Brentwood Ursuline Convent High SchoolBrentwood · 135 miles awayGood61
Archbishop Temple Church of England High SchoolPreston · 173 miles awayGood55.4
The Bishop's Stortford High SchoolBishop's Stortford · 132 miles awayOutstanding60.2
Presdales SchoolWare · 124 miles awayOutstanding58.9
St John Fisher Catholic AcademyHarrogate · 195 miles awayGood55.1
The Burgess Hill AcademyBurgess Hill · 117 miles awayNo current grade44.6
Tarporley High School and Sixth Form CollegeTarporley · 130 miles awayGood55.1
Hutton Church of England Grammar SchoolPreston · 170 miles awayExpected standard50.1
Huish Episcopi AcademyLANGPORT · 16 miles awayExpected standard50.6
The Kimberley SchoolNottingham · 136 miles awayGood51
Richard Hale SchoolHertford · 121 miles awayGood56.3
All Saints Church of England AcademyStockton-on-Tees · 232 miles awayGood54.6

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 91% (Somerset 81%, England 59%) · Any other White background 3% (Somerset 6%, England 7%) · Not recorded 1% (Somerset 4%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Somerset 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Somerset 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Somerset 0%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Somerset 1%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 1% (Somerset 1%, England 4%) · 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)
10.1%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
26.7%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

8.10 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 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

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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
18.8
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

88% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 2% moved to another state school · 10% 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)

71.6% of teachers took sickness absence, 7.1 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 £53,964; 12.5% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£9,525
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 67% (77%) · premises 4% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 5% (6%) · supplies and services 24% (11%) · educational supplies 11% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (1%) · catering 3% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £434,000; in-year balance +£821,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
97%
Continuing in education
88%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
4%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
45%
Apprenticeship
8%
Employment
26%
Any sustained destination
82%

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)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher30.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications18.6%18.1%
In managerial or professional work31.9%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways17.5%18.1%
Residents in very good health45.2%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier63.8%62.3%
Social housing14.9%17.1%
Privately rented21.2%20.5%
Detached houses24.4%22.9%
Flats31.4%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms17.1%21.1%
Households with no car or van19.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01029127 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£330,000240 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£249,500–£425,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (86)£452,500
Semi-detached (84)£323,000
Terraced (42)£244,000
Flat (28)£148,500

Homes around this school are dearer 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
2a rural school averages 0.3
Collisions at school-run times
2a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
10a rural school averages 3.4
Of those, serious or fatal
4a 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