Kingsmead AcademyThe Castle School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Taunton.
Summary of the comparison
Kingsmead Academy and The Castle School are secondary schools in Taunton.
Kingsmead Academy scores 48 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and The Castle School scores 75 out of 100 (grade B, strong). The Castle School is ahead on our composite score.
Kingsmead Academy was judged the expected standard and The Castle School was judged Outstanding.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 41.6 for Kingsmead Academy and 52.7 for The Castle School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Kingsmead Academy (46.8 in 2021-22, 41.6 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 | TauntonKingsmead Academy | TauntonThe Castle School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D48/100 | B75/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 24th 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 | 892 | 1,207 | |
| Capacity | 1,050 | 1,188 | |
| Location | Taunton, TA4 2NE | Taunton, TA1 5AU | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 41.6 | 52.7 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 30.3% | 57.3% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 56.9% | 73.6% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 195 | 239 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 879 | 1,202 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 19.1% | 13.0% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.4% | 13.2% | |
| SEN support | 13.0% | 10.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.6% | 2.6% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 10.7% | 7.2% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 26.6% | 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.
Kingsmead Academy
The Castle School
Full profiles: Kingsmead Academy · The Castle School