80%
GCSE 9–4 · 2024/25
58%
GCSE 5+ · 2024/25
53.4
Attainment 8 · 2024/25
30%
EBacc entry · 2024/25
1127.8
EBacc APS · 2024/25
1,202
Pupils · 2024/25
13%
EAL · 2024/25
16%
Persistent abs. · 2024/25
Ofsted inspection
Outstanding
Ofsted inspection · 03/10/2023
Inadequate
Requires improvement
Good
Outstanding
Local authoritySomerset
PhaseSecondary with sixth form with sixth form
School typeAcademy
Pupil : teacher ratio17.4:1
AdmissionsNon-selective
Religious characterDoes not apply
StatusOpen
Overview of The Castle School · Secondary with sixth form · Somerset
How does this school perform?
Key Stage 4 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
GCSE 9–4 incl. Eng & maths
80%
-5pp
84%79%74%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 80%
GCSE 5+ incl. Eng & maths
58%
-1pp
66%60%54%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 58%
Attainment 8
53.4
-1.9
55.354.153.0
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 53.4
EBacc entry
30%
+9pp
30%26%21%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 30%
EBacc APS
1127.8
-5.7
1133.51098.01062.5
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 1127.8
Pupils & context
2024/25
Pupils on roll
1,202
Pupil : teacher ratio
17.4
Workforce data · 2025/26
EAL
13%
FSM eligible
13%
SEN
13%
Overall absence
7%
Persistent absence
16%
Contact
Address
Wellington Road, Taunton, TA1 5AU
Local authority
Somerset
Telephone
Email
—
History
All years · Historical DfE data by academic year
Secondary — Key Stage 4
GCSE attainment and Progress 8 — how pupils progressed from KS2 to KS4.
| Year | GCSE 9–4 | GCSE 5+ | Attainment 8 | Progress 8 | EBacc entry | EBacc APS | EBacc lang entry | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 80% | 58% | 53.4 | Not applicable | 30% | 1127.8 | 46% | 1,202 |
| 2023/24 | 84% | 58% | 55.3 | +0.60 | 21% | 1133.5 | 28% | 1,204 |
| 2022/23 | 74% | 54% | 53.1 | +0.21 | 23% | 1070.8 | 32% | 1,199 |
| 2021/22 | 82% | 66% | 55.1 | +0.21 | 24% | 1126.2 | 35% | 1,199 |
| 2018/19 | 80% | 57% | 53.0 | +0.19 | 30% | 1062.5 | 40% | 1,188 |
| 2017/18 | 78% | 52% | 52.6 | +0.24 | 45% | 1064.8 | 49% | 1,189 |
| 2016/17 | 73% | 49% | 51.0 | +0.04 | 22% | — | 36% | 1,189 |
Sixth form — Key Stage 5
| Year | A-level APS | Avg grade | VA progress | AAB+ | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not eligible | Not eligible | Not applicable | Not eligible | 1 |
| 2016/17 | Not eligible | Not eligible | Not applicable | Not eligible | Not eligible |
Pupils & absence
| Year | Pupils | Pupil:teacher | SEN | EAL | FSM ever | Absence | Persistent absence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 1,202 | 16.2 | 13% | 13% | 13% | 7% | 16% |
| 2023/24 | 1,204 | 16.6 | 11% | 12% | 12% | 7% | 16% |
| 2022/23 | 1,199 | 15.6 | 10% | 11% | 12% | 7% | 15% |
| 2021/22 | 1,199 | 16.0 | 9% | 8% | 12% | 8% | 20% |
| 2020/21 | 1,201 | 16.5 | 8% | 8% | 13% | — | — |
| 2018/19 | 1,188 | 17.2 | 7% | 8% | 14% | 5% | 8% |
| 2017/18 | 1,189 | 18.4 | 7% | 7% | 13% | 5% | 9% |
| 2016/17 | 1,189 | 17.8 | 6% | 7% | 15% | 4% | 10% |
School performance data © Crown copyright. Source: Department for Education.