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Schools across Somerset

Local authority · 307 schools across 47 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Somerset (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Somerset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Somerset →

Schools in Somerset (307)

Showing 20 of 307 schools

Total Schools

307

219 primary · 35 secondary

Total Pupils

76,898

84% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

83

6 outstanding · 77 good

Capacity

91,010

14,112 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

77
220
Outstanding: 6
Good: 77
Requires Improvement: 4
Not inspected: 220

Best Schools in Somerset

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

30.2

GCSE Eng+Maths

22.1%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

88% full
39,232 pupils44,586 capacity

5,354 spare places

Secondary Schools

80% full
26,662 pupils33,191 capacity

6,529 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.4%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

15.4%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

250

2024/25

Absence trend across Somerset schools

4.7%
18/19
4.1%
20/21
7.3%
21/22
6.8%
22/23
6.9%
23/24
6.4%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

6%

Plans Issued

486

Assessment Requests

1,437

Tribunal Cases

62

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

21%
2019
34%
2020
64%
2021
70%
2022
42%
2023
34%
2024
6%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

6,515 admissions

85

Lodged

(1.3%)

49

Heard

2

Successful

(4%)

Primary (infant classes)

5,466 admissions

58

Lodged

(1.1%)

32

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Secondary

6,574 admissions

133

Lodged

(2.0%)

99

Heard

10

Successful

(10%)

Total

13,089 admissions

218

Lodged

(1.7%)

148

Heard

12

Successful

(8%)

Total appeals lodged per year

797
2019
832
2020
809
2021
631
2022
695
2023
882
2024
1079
2025
494
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Somerset

Taunton

58 schools

Bridgwater

36 schools

Yeovil

30 schools

Frome

20 schools

Wells

12 schools

Wellington

11 schools

Radstock

10 schools

Minehead

10 schools

Shepton Mallet

10 schools

Chard

9 schools

Glastonbury

9 schools

Highbridge

8 schools

Crewkerne

8 schools

Street

7 schools

Ilminster

6 schools

Langport

5 schools

Martock

4 schools

Burnham-on-Sea

4 schools

Templecombe

4 schools

Somerton

3 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Somerset

How many schools are there in Somerset?

Somerset has 307 open schools: 219 state primary, 36 state secondary or all-through, 16 independent, 30 special and 6 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Somerset are rated Outstanding?

16 schools in Somerset were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Fiveways Special School, Marchant Holliday School, Preston CofE Primary School, The Castle School, Huish Primary School and 11 more. Counting Good as well, 90% of the 220 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Fiveways Special SchoolMarchant Holliday SchoolPreston CofE Primary SchoolThe Castle SchoolHuish Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Somerset get the best GCSE results?

Of the 31 schools in Somerset with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The Castle School, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.7 and 57% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Huish Episcopi Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.5 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Bishop Fox's School, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.7 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

The Castle SchoolHuish Episcopi AcademyBishop Fox's School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Somerset have the best SATs results?

Of the 149 primary schools in Somerset with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Stoke St Gregory Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Countess Gytha Primary School (95% in reading, 100% in maths); and Preston CofE Primary School (97% in reading, 97% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Stoke St Gregory Church of England Primary SchoolCountess Gytha Primary SchoolPreston CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Somerset?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Somerset selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Somerset have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Somerset have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Somerset allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Somerset?

Apply to Somerset through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables