Ansford Academy
Secondary · Academy converter · Mixed · Somerset
Maggs Lane, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
54
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Requires improvement
Graded 31/10/2023
Application demand
100%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
91.2%
26.4% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
469
Capacity used
Has space62%
760 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Secondary entry · official council applications and offers
100%
1st preference success rate
70 of 70 families who put it first got an offer
77
Places offered
104
Total applications
1.4
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 70 | 70 | ● 100% |
| 2nd preference | 29 | 3 | ● 10% |
| 3rd preference | 5 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Total | 104 | 73 | 70% |
1st preference success by year
Somerset lets families list 3 preferences. Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- No
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Karl Musson
- Address
- Maggs Lane, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
- Phone
- 01963350895
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Ward / constituency
- Castle Cary · Glastonbury and Somerton
- Area
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- URN
- 136839
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 19% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 2% | — | — |
| SEN support | 16% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 1 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
469 pupils · 760 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 26
24 February 2026
S5 Inspection · report card
Inclusion Expected standard Achievement Expected standard Safeguarding standards Met Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Attendance and behaviour Expected standard Leadership and governance Strong standard Early years Not applicable Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard Post-16 provision Not applicable - 23
31 October 2023
Full graded inspection
Requires improvement overall effectivenessPersonal development Good Quality of education Requires improvement Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement - 22
03 March 2022
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 533 pupils
Attendance
91.2%
Share of sessions attended · England 91.1%
Overall absence
8.8%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 8.9%
Persistent absence
26.4%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 26.7%
Severe absence
3.6%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
2.0%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
GCSE results
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 37.8 | — | — |
| Progress 8 score | -0.42 | — | 0.00 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 25% | — | — |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 47% | — | — |
| EBacc average point score | 3.14 | — | — |
Progress 8 band
GCSE results over time
Attainment 8 by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 | 43.7 | 46 |
| Grade 5+ English & maths | 45.1% | 46% |
| Grade 4+ English & maths | 59.8% | 65% |
| Entering EBacc | 16.7% | 40% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.67 | 4.1 |
| Pupils in cohort | 102 | — |
How different pupils progress (GCSE, 2023/2024)
Progress 8 by group. 0 is the national average; above 0 means pupils do better than similar children elsewhere.
Results by subject
Official DfE exam results for summer 2025. Green, amber and red compare against typical results in England; subjects with fewer than 5 entries aren't rated.
GCSE
Grade 4 is a standard pass, 5 a strong pass, 7 equals the old A.
| Subject | Entries | Grade 7+ | Grade 5+ | Grade 4+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 100 | 17% | 53% | 65% | |
| English Language | 100 | 12% | 51% | 67% | |
| English Literature | 97 | 12% | 52% | 68% | |
| Combined Science | 83 | 13% | 37% | 57% | |
| Geography | 59 | 20% | 49% | 61% | |
| Business | 47 | 32% | 64% | 74% | |
| Art and Design | 32 | 19% | 31% | 41% | |
| Physical Education | 31 | 6% | 32% | 45% | |
| History | 29 | 21% | 55% | 69% | |
| Social Studies | 23 | 26% | 74% | 91% | |
| Biology | 16 | 31% | 81% | 94% | |
| Physics | 15 | 40% | 80% | 93% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Somerset council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Year 7 (secondary) | 31 October | 1 March (or next working day) |
Admissions policy: Non-selective. Check the school's own admissions rules on its website.
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.