Ansford Academy
Academy converter · 469 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.7
Academy converter
The Castle School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,207of 1,188 places
- Free school meals
- 13.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 239
- Ofsted
- Outstanding, 3 October 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Castle School (URN 123886, until 1 July 2011).
What the data says
Of the 239 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Castle School in 2023, 2% stayed on in The Castle School’s own sixth form (Somerset average 17%), 23% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Sixth form colleges are the main next step: 62% of leavers went to one, roughly three times the England rate of 13%.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 27% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 53.4 against 46.1 across England and 43.5 in Somerset, with 58% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Somerset and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Castle School | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 239 | 5,178 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 2% | 17% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 62% | 17% | 13% |
| — further education college | 23% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 6% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 2% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
No published destinations for sixth-form leavers yet.
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Castle School | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 53.4 | 43.5 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 58% | 40% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 80% | 61% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 30% | 31% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.72 | 3.78 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 11% | 21% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 37.3 | 30.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 55.4 | 47.0 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 11% | 9% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 238 | 100% | 88% | 29% | 22% | 84% |
| English Language | 237 | 99% | 89% | 23% | 20% | 82% |
| English Literature | 232 | 97% | 86% | 29% | 21% | 86% |
| Combined Science | 173 | 72% | 65% | 10% | 9% | 73% |
| Geography | 111 | 46% | 41% | 37% | 25% | 80% |
| History | 77 | 32% | 41% | 38% | 26% | 74% |
| Photography | 65 | 27% | 6% | 20% | 19% | 88% |
| Biology | 62 | 26% | 23% | 71% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 62 | 26% | 23% | 58% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 62 | 26% | 23% | 60% | 47% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 54 | 23% | 11% | 19% | 24% | 96% |
| Spanish | 48 | 20% | 19% | 40% | 27% | 77% |
| Computer Science | 35 | 15% | 13% | 43% | 30% | 89% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 34 | 14% | 8% | 56% | 21% | 97% |
| Fine Art | 32 | 13% | 9% | 16% | 28% | 72% |
| German | 26 | 11% | 5% | 73% | 33% | 100% |
| Textiles | 24 | 10% | 2% | 21% | 27% | 88% |
| Design and Technology | 21 | 9% | 11% | 33% | 23% | 86% |
| French | 19 | 8% | 18% | 47% | 29% | 89% |
| Chinese | 16 | 7% | 1% | 31% | 75% | 69% |
| Drama | 14 | 6% | 7% | 29% | 27% | 93% |
| Dance | 13 | 5% | 1% | 23% | 27% | 100% |
| Music | 11 | 5% | 5% | 64% | 33% | 100% |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Punjabi | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 0% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 20 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 19 | — | — |
| Engineering Studies | 18 | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | 14 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 13 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Somerset
Bishop Fox's School
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88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.9
Bridgwater College Academy
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83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 31.9
Brymore Academy
Academy sponsor led · 327 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.0
Buckler's Mead School
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83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.5
Chilton Trinity School
Academy converter · 990 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.0
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.