Ofsted: Good

Fairlands Middle School

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

personMr Stefan McHale

corporate_fareWESSEX LEARNING TRUST

location_onCheddar, BS27 3PG

language Visit Website phone 1934743186

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

472

school

Expected Standard

54%

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Age Range

9-13

summarize

Fairlands Middle School is a Academy converter secondary school in Cheddar, serving ages 9-13. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Fairlands Middle School is an academy converter in Cheddar, Somerset, admitting pupils aged 9-13. It is part of WESSEX LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 411 pupils on roll, of whom 16% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 54% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 8% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #113 of 157 primaries in Somerset and #11,883 of 15,231 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.4:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

54%

LA 57%

Reading74% LA 72%

Writing72% LA 69%

Maths65% LA 69%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

51%

LA 55%England 61%

Reading75% LA 72% · Eng 74%

Writing73% LA 68% · Eng 72%

Maths64% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

44%

LA 54%England 60%

Reading65% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Writing63% LA 68% · Eng 71%

Maths60% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

-2.2

Read

LA -0.5

-3.4 to -1.0

-3.1

Write

LA -0.4

-4.3 to -2.0

-4.0

Maths

LA -1.4

-5.1 to -2.8

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 September 2024

Inspection Report

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08 April 2020

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2024-09-24

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2020-01-15

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2012-02-08

None EIF

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

1.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.5%(6 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 411 pupils. During this period, there were 7 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.7%, which is below 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)	411	7	1.7%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	410	2	0.5%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	438	10	2.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	434	7	1.6%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	436	27	6.2%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	469	19	4.1%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	472	8	1.7%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	470	3	0.6%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	493	3	0.6%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	493	7	1.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	495	9	1.8%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	511	19	3.7%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	508	4	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	513	7	1.4%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Spring term)	483	3	0.6%	3.2%	0

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.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 14 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 11 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 6 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

89.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

86.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

31.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree24%

agree46%

disagree16%

strongly disagree10%

don't know4%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree10%

agree36%

disagree30%

strongly disagree16%

don't know9%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree23%

agree33%

disagree17%

strongly disagree6%

don't know4%

not applicable17%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes29%

no71%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree10%

agree30%

disagree25%

strongly disagree25%

dont know10%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree23%

agree53%

disagree11%

strongly disagree3%

don't know10%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree24%

agree54%

disagree9%

strongly disagree3%

don't know10%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree27%

agree51%

disagree14%

strongly disagree4%

don't know3%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree39%

agree54%

disagree4%

don't know3%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree40%

agree47%

disagree10%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree21%

agree41%

disagree19%

strongly disagree6%

don't know13%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes83%

no17%

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Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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The Blue School

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Haygrove School

Good

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

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