Danesfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Community Middle School, Taunton
Data last updated 31 Aug 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 9 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
The school offers pupils enriching experiences through trips, productions and talent shows that help develop their talents and interests. New leadership has brought accurate understanding of the school's challenges and begun improving support for pupils with special educational needs. The school provides pastoral support and wellbeing help, with pupils able to access leadership opportunities through roles such as school chaplains and the prefect system.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding standards are met with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed
- Recent leadership has accurately identified the school's weaknesses and begun to improve support for pupils with special educational needs
- School offers enriching activities including trips, productions, and talent shows that help pupils develop their talents and interests
Areas for Improvement
- Pupil achievement is significantly below expectations - many pupils struggle with reading, writing and mathematics
- Attendance is too low with too many pupils missing large amounts of school
- The curriculum is not well matched to what pupils know, and staff lack subject knowledge to teach it effectively
- Teaching is not well adapted to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
- Inclusion systems are not fully embedded and staff expertise in supporting vulnerable learners is variable
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
School productions, talent shows, school trips (including Paris visit), sporting competitions, school chaplain roles, prefect system, school council, Christmas Tree Festival, charity fundraising
Danesfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Community Middle School requires significant improvement. The school has experienced leadership instability, and pupils are not achieving well academically with widespread weaknesses in curriculum delivery and pupil progress.
At a Glance
37.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 54%. Maths has remained stable at around 46%. Writing has improved from 20% to 40%.
Class Sizes
24.9
Avg class size
14
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
72%
Available places
324 pupils
450 capacity
126 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Taunton
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Taunton
Admissions Demand - Somerset
Places available
5,071
Applications
4,601
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
96.7%
Secondary admissions across Somerset (2025/26)
Inspection History(8)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.30812%
Overall absence
29.24791%
Persistent absence
359
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Danesfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Community Middle School
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