Bridgwater College Academy
| Type | Other schools / Academy sponsor led |
| Age Range | 3-16 |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Address | Parkway Bridgwater Somerset TA6 4QY |
| Phone | 01278727327 |
| Reference Number | 138375 |
Bridgwater College Academy is currently in special measures due to significant shortcomings in the quality of education provided to its pupils. Despite some positive developments, such as a broad curriculum and improvements in the early years phase, the overall performance in terms of achievement is alarmingly below national averages. Both primary and secondary pupils fail to meet basic standards in reading, writing, and mathematics, particularly disadvantaging those from low-income backgrounds. There are concerns regarding leadership effectiveness, attendance, behaviour, and support for students with special educational needs.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 1576 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 52.03%
Girls: 47.97% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 36.1% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 20% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 25.1 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 25.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 27.3 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49 | 33 | 82 |
| 2 | 41 | 37 | 78 |
| 3 | 48 | 32 | 80 |
| 4 | 50 | 31 | 81 |
| 5 | 36 | 48 | 84 |
| 6 | 42 | 40 | 82 |
| 7 | 99 | 91 | 190 |
| 8 | 105 | 98 | 203 |
| 9 | 99 | 103 | 202 |
| 10 | 109 | 98 | 207 |
| 11 | 90 | 97 | 187 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 74.7% |
| White, Other | 13.5% |
| Asian, Other | 2.7% |
| Mixed, Other | 2% |
| Indian | 1.9% |
| African | 1.3% |
| White & Asian | 1% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.6% |
| Unclassified | 0.4% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.3% |
| Irish | 0.1% |
| Pakistani | 0.1% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Urgent improvement |
| > Leadership & Governance | Urgent improvement |
| > Personal Development & Wellbeing | Needs attention |
| > Achievement | Urgent improvement |
| > Attendance & Behaviour | Urgent improvement |
| > Curriculum & Teaching | Urgent improvement |
| > Inclusion | Urgent improvement |
| > Early Years | Needs attention |
| Last Report Date | 10 Mar 2026 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 10 Mar 2026 | School inspection |
| 10 May 2023 | School inspection |
| 04 Feb 2020 | School inspection |
| 28 Jun 2016 | Full inspection |
| 25 Sep 2014 | Monitoring visit |
| 15 May 2014 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Strong careers provision raising aspirations for secondary students.
- Positive relationships established between staff and families in early years.
- Wide range of extracurricular activities engaging pupils across age groups.
Areas for Improvement
- Achievement in key stages 2 and 4 is significantly below national averages.
- Low attendance rates and persistent absence impacting learning.
- Frequent disruption to lessons and negative behaviour in secondary phase.
- Inadequate support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
- English
- Maths
- 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
- 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education
Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.
| School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 31.9 |
GCSE Results
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 16% | ||
| 5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) | 29.4% |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
Sample
UnlockGCSE Results
Sample
UnlockHow many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 25% | ||
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 4% |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 100 | ||
| Maths | 99 |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | -1.7 | ||
| Writing | 0.2 | ||
| Maths | -1.1 |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 23 | 3 |
| Third Preference | 4 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous Years
Sample
Unlock2025 Admissions
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 32 | 4 |
| Third Preference | 12 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous Years
Sample
UnlockDestinations after GCSE's
| Staying in Education | |
| > Further Education | |
| > School Sixth Form | |
| > Sixth Form College | |
| > Other Education | |
| Apprenticeships | |
| Employment | |
| Not in education or employment | |
| Unknown |
| Name | Distance |
|
St John and St Francis Church School
Westonzoyland Road, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 5BP |
0.52 miles |
|
Eastover Primary School
Wellington Road, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 5EX |
0.52 miles |
|
Willowdown Primary School
Kings Drive, Bridgwater, TA6 4FU |
0.76 miles |
|
Northgate Primary School
Northgate, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 3EU |
1.06 miles |
|
Hamp Nursery and Infants' School
Hamp Nursery and Infants School, Rhode Lane, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 6JB |
1.36 miles |
|
Westover Green Community School and Autism Centre
Westover Green, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 7HB |
1.42 miles |
|
Hamp Academy
Rhode Lane, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 6JB |
1.44 miles |
|
Somerset Bridge Primary School
Stockmoor Drive, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 6AH |
1.58 miles |
|
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bridgwater
Park Avenue, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 7EE |
1.64 miles |
|
Wembdon St George's Church School
Brantwood Road, Wembdon, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 7PS |
1.94 miles |
|
St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School
Oakfield Road, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 7LX |
2.02 miles |
|
Kingsmoor Primary School
Bawdrip, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA7 8PY |
2.12 miles |
|
Puriton Primary School
Rowlands Rise, Puriton, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA7 8BT |
2.45 miles |
|
Westonzoyland Community Primary School
Cheer Lane, Westonzoyland, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA7 0EY |
2.85 miles |
|
North Petherton Primary School
School Fields, North Petherton, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 6LU |
3.15 miles |
|
Woolavington Village Primary School
Higher Road, Woolavington, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA7 8EA |
3.15 miles |
|
Pawlett Primary School Academy
Gaunts Road, Pawlett, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 4SB |
3.55 miles |
|
Cannington Church of England Primary School
Brook Street, Cannington, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2HP |
3.65 miles |
|
North Newton Community Primary School
Church Road, North Newton, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA7 0BG |
4.1 miles |
|
Otterhampton Primary School
School Lane, Combwich, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2QS |
4.7 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
University Centre Somerset College Group
Bath Road, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 4PZ |
0.26 miles |
|
Chilton Trinity School
Chilton Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 3JA |
1.27 miles |
|
Robert Blake School
Hamp Avenue, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 6AW |
1.28 miles |
|
Polden Bower School
Bower Lane, Bridgwater, TA6 4GU |
1.28 miles |
|
Haygrove School
Durleigh Road, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 7HW |
1.89 miles |
|
Petherton Park School
Brook Farm, Newton Road, North Petherton, Somerset, Somerset, TA6 6NA |
3.43 miles |
|
Brymore Academy
Cannington, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2NB |
4.42 miles |
|
Inaura School
Moorview House, Riverside, Burrowbridge, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA7 0RB |
4.96 miles |