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West Somerset College

West Somerset College logo
AcademySecondarySixth Form

West Somerset College

Ages1319
760 pupils
Requires Improvement· Jun 2023
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Details

Type

Academy Converter

Local Authority

Somerset

Academy Trust

BRIDGWATER & TAUNTON COLLEGE TRUST

Head Teacher

Zoe Stucki

Gender

Mixed

Admissions

Non-selective

Religious Character

Does not apply

Opened

June 2011

Website

www.westsomersetcollege.org

Reference Number

136791

Additional Provisions

Sixth Form

About This Data

  • School information is sourced from Get Information About Schools (GIAS), the official UK government register maintained by the Department for Education.

Pupils

Summary

Total Pupils760 (50% of capacity)
Age Range13 – 19
GenderMixed
Boys / Girls50% / 50%
Free School Meals24.3%
English as Additional Language4.7%
SEN Support15.1%
SEN with EHCP2.0%
Overall Attendance85.4%
Persistent Absence44.9%

Class Sizes

Overall Average18.7
Key Stage 10.0
Key Stage 20.0

Total Pupils

Cohort Sizes

Year 9226
Year 10193
Year 11219
Year 1261
Year 1361

Pupil Ethnicities

White British91.6%
White Other3.0%
White & Asian1.3%
Mixed Other0.8%
Unclassified0.7%
White & Black Caribbean0.5%
White & Black African0.5%
Indian0.5%
Bangladeshi0.4%
African0.4%
Asian Other0.1%
Other0.1%

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the National School Census for 2024/25, collected each January.
  • This is not live data. For current availability of places, contact the school or local authority directly.
  • Capacity refers to the maximum number of pupils a school can accommodate. Schools may operate above or below capacity, and spare places may only be available in certain year groups.
  • Persistent absence means a pupil missed 10% or more of their possible sessions during the academic year. Absence rates during 2020–2022 were significantly higher due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inspections

Ofsted Inspections

10 inspections on record

Current Rating
Requires Improvement· Jun 2023
  • 2023

    School Inspection

    30 June 2023

    View report
    Requires Improvement

    Category Judgements

    CategoryJudgement
    Quality of educationRequires Improvement
    Behaviour and attitudesRequires Improvement
    Personal developmentRequires Improvement
    Leadership and managementRequires Improvement

    AI-Generated Insights

    Curriculum
    11
    • Pupils follow a broad curriculum with varied opportunities.
    • Curriculum is not delivered effectively in some subjects.
    Leadership
    11
    • Leaders have a clear vision for school improvement.
    • Staff feel undervalued and not always supported.
    Safeguarding
    1
    • Safeguarding arrangements are effective and well managed.
    Pupil Progress
    2
    • Pupils' progress is variable across the school.
    • Pupils with SEND are well supported but need more help.
    Teaching Quality
    11
    • Teaching quality is variable, with some effective practices.
    • Teachers use effective methods to check understanding.
    Personal Development
    11
    • Personal development curriculum has gaps and needs improvement.
    • Careers education is effective and valued by students.
    Behaviour & Attendance
    11
    • Behaviour is improving, but anti-social incidents remain.
    • Overall attendance is too low and needs improvement.

    Insights are generated by AI from the inspection report and may not be fully accurate.

  • 2020

    School Inspection

    29 June 2020

    View report
  • 2016

    Full Inspection

    14 June 2016

    View report
    Good
  • Monitoring Visit

    22 April 2016

    View report
  • 2015

    Monitoring Visit

    25 November 2015

    View report
  • Monitoring Visit

    25 March 2015

    View report
  • Monitoring Visit

    15 January 2015

    View report
  • 2014

    Full Inspection

    11 November 2014

    View report
    Inadequate
  • 2012

    Full Inspection

    11 July 2012

    View report
    Good
  • Academy Conversion

    18 February 2012

    View report

About This Data

  • Inspection data is sourced from Ofsted, the official schools inspectorate for England.
  • Ratings may have changed since the last inspection. Always check the latest report for current information.
  • Some inspections (monitoring visits, academy conversions) do not result in a graded judgement.

GCSE Results

ResultSchoolLAEngland
Attainment 8 score39.740.946.9
Grade 5 or above in English and maths34.4%34.0%46.2%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths57.0%52.4%65.4%
Entering EBacc23.1%
EBacc average point score3.43.64.1
Progress 8
-0.50Below average

Pupils at this school made slightly less progress than similar pupils nationally

About This Data

  • Schools are ranked by their Attainment 8 score, which shows overall exam results. This data comes from the Department for Education performance tables.
  • Exam results and progress scores tell you different things. Imagine two children climbing a mountain: one starts at the bottom and climbs halfway up, while another starts a third of the way up and climbs another third. The second child climbed less distance but finished higher up. Exam results show where pupils finished (like height on the mountain), while progress scores show how far they've come since primary school (like distance climbed). Progress scores help you understand how much a school has helped pupils improve, regardless of where they started.

Destinations

Where students go after finishing their studies

Destinations after GCSEs

DestinationSchoolEngland
Staying in education69%86%
...Further education15%37%
...School sixth form34%
...Sixth form college13%
...Other education destinations2%2%
In employment8%3%
Apprenticeships7%3%
Not in education or employment6%
Destination unknown3%

About This Data

  • This shows where students went after completing their GCSEs, tracked for at least two terms into the following academic year.
  • A sustained destination means the student remained in education, employment, or training for at least two terms (October to March).
  • England averages are shown for comparison. Each school's results will vary based on their student intake and local area.

Workforce

Staff numbers and pupil-to-teacher ratios

Pupils per Teacher or Teaching Assistant

Shows how many children each teacher looks after on average. The lower line includes teaching assistants, giving you a better picture of the adult support available in classrooms.

Total Pupils

The number of children enrolled at this school over time. These figures come from financial records and may differ slightly from other pupil numbers on this site due to when data was collected.

Total Number of Teachers

The total teaching capacity at this school, including classroom teachers and senior staff who also teach. Part-time teachers are counted based on their working hours.

Teaching Assistants

Support staff who work directly with children in classrooms. This includes regular TAs, higher-level TAs with more responsibilities, and specialist support for children with additional needs.

Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (%)

The percentage of teachers who have completed official teacher training in England. A higher percentage typically indicates a more experienced and formally trained teaching team.

Senior Leadership

The school's leadership team, including the headteacher, deputy heads and assistant heads. These staff manage the school and often still spend time in classrooms.

Non-classroom Support Staff and Auxiliary Staff

Office and admin staff who keep the school running smoothly, plus auxiliary staff like catering teams and site maintenance who look after the building and meals.

Total Headcount and Workforce

Two ways of counting staff: headcount shows total people employed (including part-timers), while workforce counts the equivalent number of full-time positions.

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE School Workforce Census. Numbers may not match exactly other data shown on this site due to different collection timings within the academic year.
  • FTE = Full-time equivalent, representing the total working hours divided by standard full-time hours. Headcount = total number of individuals employed.
  • Senior leadership includes headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers.
  • Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) have completed accredited initial teacher training in England.

Finances

2023/24

Income per Pupil (£)

In 2023/24 the revenue reserve was £170,061 or £224 p/pupil. Schools maintain reserves for unexpected costs, but these funds are ultimately meant to benefit pupils.

Expenditure per Pupil (£)

In 2023/24 the in-year balance was £14,967 or £20 p/pupil. A positive balance means the school had money left over, which goes into reserves for future use.

About This Data

  • Financial data comes from the DfE School Financial Benchmarking service. Schools report their income and spending each year.
  • Revenue reserve is the money a school has saved up over time. Schools keep reserves to cover unexpected costs, though funds are meant to benefit current pupils.
  • In-year balance shows whether a school spent more or less than it received in a single year. A positive balance means the school had money left over; a negative balance means it dipped into savings.

Contact Information

Address

Bircham Road
Alcombe
Minehead
Somerset
TA24 6AY

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