Kingsmead Academy

Kingsmead Academy is a single academy trust secondary school that has experienced leadership turbulence; the current headteacher took up post in January 2023, and recent improvements are not yet fully embedded. Inspectors found behaviour and personal development to be good, with pupils feeling happy and safe, positive relationships with adults, and lessons generally free from disruption. Safeguarding is effective. The school has significantly raised behaviour expectations, uses rewards and consequences fairly, and suspensions are falling dramatically as pupils are better supported. However, the quality of education and leadership and management still require improvement. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should across all areas of the curriculum. In some subjects, the curriculum does not set out precisely what pupils will learn and in what order, so pupils sometimes repeat work rather than deepen their understanding. Classroom assessment does not reliably identify what pupils know or where gaps are, so work is not consistently matched to pupils' starting points and some pupils struggle to engage. Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and access the full curriculum with additional support, but they experience the same curriculum weaknesses as their peers. Leaders have accurately highlighted priorities and sought the views of staff, pupils and parents, including consideration of staff workload and well-being. However, systems for monitoring and reviewing the quality of education are limited, leaving leaders and trustees without a clear enough view of what is working well and where further improvement is needed. Reading support, attendance work and careers provision are notable strengths, although persistent absence is falling and behaviour improvements are recent.

Strengths

• Behaviour expectations have been significantly raised, with clear and fairly applied rewards and consequences
• Lessons now take place without disruption, and pupils have positive relationships with adults
• Pupils feel happy and safe at school
• Personal development is carefully designed to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain
• Pupils value tolerance, discuss moral dilemmas and understand how to report bullying
• Reading is prioritised, with weakest readers quickly identified and supported
• SEND needs are accurately identified and pupils access the full curriculum with additional support
• Attendance is closely monitored and persistent absence is falling due to targeted support
• Careers provision includes world-of-work events and strong support for Year 11 next steps
• Pupils take on responsibilities through clubs, performances, the school farm, subject ambassadors and student council
• Leaders seek staff, pupil and parent views and consider staff workload and well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not achieve as well as they should across all areas of the curriculum
• Curriculum planning lacks precision in some subjects about what pupils will learn and in what order
• Pupils sometimes repeat work rather than deepening their understanding
• Classroom assessment does not accurately identify pupils' knowledge, gaps or starting points
• Work is not consistently matched to pupils' starting points, and some pupils struggle to engage with tasks
• Pupils with SEND experience the same curriculum weaknesses as their peers
• Leaders do not have sufficient systems to monitor and review the quality of education
• Governance lacks clear oversight because leaders and trustees cannot accurately evaluate what is working well
• Recent improvements are not fully embedded, so impact is uneven across areas
• Suspensions have been high, although they are now falling as behaviour support improves

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Kingsmead Academy attended 89.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 10.8% of pupils at Kingsmead Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Kingsmead Academy had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.8% of pupils at Kingsmead Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2023–24 Kingsmead Academy received £7,309 and spent £7,280 for each of its 925 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £786,000 (£850 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Cabot Learning Federation, income was £7,741 and spending £7,387 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Taunton · Somerset local authority: places and applications

Kingsmead Academy is part of Cabot Learning Federation, which runs 34 schools. The nearest others:

• Priorswood Primary School Taunton
• The Sky Academy Taunton
• Minerva Primary School Taunton
• Monkton Wood Academy Taunton
• The Redstart Primary School Chard
• Uphill Village Academy Weston-Super-Mare
• Broadoak Academy Weston-Super-Mare
• Castle Primary School Stoke-Sub-Hamdon
• Hans Price Academy Weston-Super-Mare
• Haywood Village Academy North Somerset

What is Kingsmead Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kingsmead Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Kingsmead Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Kingsmead Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Kingsmead Academy have?

Kingsmead Academy has 892 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kingsmead Academy cover?

Kingsmead Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Kingsmead Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.6, and 30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Kingsmead Academy?

Kingsmead Academy is at Wiveliscombe, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 2NE.