Bishop Fox's SchoolThe Castle School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Taunton.
Summary of the comparison
Bishop Fox's School and The Castle School are secondary schools in Taunton.
Bishop Fox's School scores 62 out of 100 (grade C, average) and The Castle School scores 75 out of 100 (grade B, strong). The Castle School is ahead on our composite score.
Bishop Fox's School was judged Good and The Castle School was judged Outstanding.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 49.7 for Bishop Fox's School and 52.7 for The Castle School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Bishop Fox's School (46.5 in 2021-22, 49.7 in 2025-26) and has fallen at The Castle School (55.1 in 2021-22, 52.7 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | TauntonBishop Fox's School | TauntonThe Castle School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C62/100 | B75/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 4th of 32 in Somerset | 1st of 32 in Somerset Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-19 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,123 | 1,207 | |
| Capacity | 1,200 | 1,188 | |
| Location | Taunton, TA1 3HQ | Taunton, TA1 5AU | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 49.7 | 52.7 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 49.8% | 57.3% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 71.7% | 73.6% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 219 | 239 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,109 | 1,202 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 22.2% | 13.0% | |
| English as an additional language | 21.4% | 13.2% | |
| SEN support | 19.8% | 10.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.8% | 2.6% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.4% | 7.2% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 19.1% | 16.1% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Bishop Fox's School
The Castle School
Full profiles: Bishop Fox's School · The Castle School