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Ansford Academy

Secondary · Castle Cary · BA7 7JJ

Data updated

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Expected standard

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Expected standardAchievement: Expected standardAttendance & behaviour: Expected standardPersonal development: Strong standardInclusion: Expected standardLeadership & governance: Strong standardEarly years: Not applicablePost-16: Not applicable

Inspected 24 February 2026 · report published 6 May 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

469 pupils · 62% of 760 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–16
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
19.2% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
2.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
15.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
5% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
http://www.ansford.org.uk
URN
136839

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 85 families named it first for 87 Year 7 places, 0.98 first choices per place. At its report-card inspection on 24 February 2026, under the system Ofsted introduced in November 2025, the Achievement area was judged Expected standard. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 8.4% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.98 first-choice applications per place

87 places offered · 85 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

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)

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

Attainment 8 score
43.7
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
59.8%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
45.1%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.7
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 school43.7
Median of its 12 closest peers41.8
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
Marlwood SchoolBristol · 34 miles awayGood43.2
The Island Free SchoolVentnor · 66 miles awayGood51
Smithdon High SchoolHunstanton · 180 miles awayGood40.3
The Cheadle AcademyStoke-on-Trent · 132 miles awayGood (2019)40
Beaminster SchoolBeaminster · 22 miles awayGood47
Orsett Heath AcademyGrays · 127 miles awayGood47
Earl Mortimer CollegeLeominster · 78 miles awayGood37.5
Alderman Peel High SchoolWells-next-the-Sea · 192 miles awayExpected standard45.4
Alde Valley AcademyLeiston · 192 miles awayRequires improvement33.7
South Molton Community CollegeSouth Molton · 58 miles awayGood45.9
John O'Gaunt SchoolHungerford · 48 miles awayRequires improvement32
Honiton Community CollegeHoniton · 36 miles awayGood40.4

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 92% (Somerset 81%, England 59%) · Any other White background 3% (Somerset 6%, England 7%) · Not recorded 1% (Somerset 4%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Somerset 1%, England 3%) · Black African 1% (Somerset 2%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Somerset 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Somerset 1%, England 1%) · 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)
8.4%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
22.6%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

23.84 suspensions per 100 pupils and 2 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
16.5
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

75% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 15% moved to another state school · 10% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

3.4% 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)

71.4% of teachers took sickness absence, 9.4 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 £53,204; 14.7% 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
93%
Continuing in education
79%
Apprenticeship
8%
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)
2/10among the most deprived fifth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher35.5%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications14.7%18.1%
In managerial or professional work37.8%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways9.6%18.1%
Residents in very good health45.3%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier78.8%62.3%
Social housing5.5%17.1%
Privately rented15.7%20.5%
Detached houses37.3%22.9%
Flats5.5%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms28.1%21.1%
Households with no car or van9.3%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01029168 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£270,000132 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£187,500–£355,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (36)£434,500
Semi-detached (33)£270,000
Terraced (51)£225,000
Flat (12)£145,000

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
2a 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