Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #15 in Somerset public Top 29% UK

Ansford Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMs Rachel Purnell

corporate_fareANSFORD ACADEMY TRUST

location_onCastle Cary, BA7 7JJ

language Visit Website phone 1963350895

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

567

trending_up

Attainment 8

43.7

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GCSE Rank

#14 in Somerset

#1,989 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Ansford Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Castle Cary, serving ages 11-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

Ansford Academy is an academy converter in Castle Cary, Somerset, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of ANSFORD ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 516 pupils on roll, of whom 19% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 43.7, placing the school #14 in Somerset and #1,989 of 3,216 nationally. 45.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 17.3% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement, personal development Good, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.5:1. There is 1 teaching vacancy.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 8.9 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

43.7

Grade 5+ E&M

45.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)17.3%

Entering EBacc16.70%

EBacc APS3.67

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.42

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

37.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14.90%

EBacc APS3.14

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.43

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc9%

EBacc APS3.27

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.63

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS3.55

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc21%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36%

EBacc APS3.73

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.32

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.97

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships13%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

31 October 2023

Inspection Report

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02 March 2022

Inspection Report

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17 January 2017

Inspection Report

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05 December 2012

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2023-10-31

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2017-01-17

Maintained Academy and School Short inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2012-12-05

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

9.7%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

5.6%(29 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 516 pupils. During this period, there were 50 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 9.7%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	516	50	9.7%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	525	43	8.2%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	538	78	14.5%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	543	80	14.7%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	544	80	14.7%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	568	88	15.5%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	567	76	13.4%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	570	103	18.1%	5.9%	3
2021/22 (Summer term)	585	43	7.4%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	587	64	10.9%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	581	59	10.2%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	591	22	3.7%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	596	4	0.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	594	9	1.5%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	581	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	581	9	1.5%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	577	20	3.5%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	572	21	3.7%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	570	32	5.6%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	574	41	7.1%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	572	21	3.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	572	25	4.4%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	581	25	4.3%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	573	20	3.5%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	575	33	5.7%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	584	18	3.1%	3.1%	2

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 27 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 25 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 22 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 14 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 12 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils

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Ansford Academy

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Somerset

The Castle School

Sexey's School

Huish Episcopi Academy

The Blue School

Haygrove School

The Kings of Wessex Academy