Monkton Wood Academy, Taunton
Monkton Wood Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Taunton, part of Cabot Learning Federation. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 20th-highest of the 28 schools in Somerset with published results, and 2,299th of 3,298 across England. It was 88% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Somerset (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Monkton Wood Academy in detail
Monkton Wood Academy in its own words
In its own words: "I am incredibly proud to be leading the school through a period of change and rapid improvement as we seek to make Monkton Wood a place of academic excellence, where children can progress and thrive."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Monkton Wood Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.3 in Somerset and 47 across England.
37% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in Somerset and 47% in England.
That is in line with 2025, when the score was 41.4.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 26.3, against 46.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 20.4 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.
Getting a place at Monkton Wood Academy
For September 2026 entry, 184 families put Monkton Wood Academy as their first choice and 333 named it as one of their preferences, for 264 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Monkton Wood Academy are Pyrland School (1.7 miles); Bishop Fox's School (2.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.7); and The Castle School (2.7 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 52.7).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Monkton Wood Academy.
The trust
Monkton Wood Academy is one of 36 schools run by Cabot Learning Federation, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.5 in 2024/25.
What parents say
72 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Monkton Wood Academy (as of September 2025): 17% would recommend the school, 29% say their child is happy there and 20% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (40%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (13%).
Who goes there
12.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Monkton Wood Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 14 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Taunton Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Heathfield School (w-bound), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Monkton Wood Academy issued 774 suspensions, 61.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Monkton Wood Academy are West Monkton Church of England School (0.3 miles), Nerrols Primary School and Nursery (0.8 miles), Creech St Michael Church of England Primary School (1 mile) and Lyngford Park Primary School (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
West Monkton Church of England SchoolNerrols Primary School and NurseryCreech St Michael Church of England Primary SchoolLyngford Park Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Monkton Wood Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in December 2023. Before that, as Heathfield Community School (URN 123883), it was rated Inadequate in March 2023.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Monkton Wood Academy has successfully transformed behaviour and safety since opening as an academy. Lessons are calm with clear expectations, and most pupils form positive relationships and feel confident reporting concerns to staff. The school works closely with external agencies to provide the care and support pupils need, with particularly strong outcomes for sixth form students and pupils with special educational needs.
Key Strengths
- Leaders have prioritised behaviour improvements with clear expectations that have resulted in calm lessons and reduced disruptions
- Safeguarding processes are robust with well-trained staff, comprehensive records, and strong partnership working with external agencies
- Pupils form positive relationships, socialise well together, and most are confident reporting problems to staff
- Sixth form students act maturely and work productively together
- Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities behave consistently well
- Attendance rates are rising due to effective school actions
Areas for Improvement
- Behaviour management approaches are not working effectively enough for a minority of vulnerable pupils who are not benefiting sufficiently from what the school offers
- Some pupils are not engaged enough in lessons because expectations for achievement are not consistently high enough
- The school's tracking and analysis of behaviour incidents lacks precision compared to attendance systems, making some improvement actions less targeted than they could be
Safeguarding
Arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with robust processes, well-trained staff, comprehensive records, appropriate referrals, rigorous follow-up, correct recruitment checks, and an open and vigilant culture prioritised by leaders.
Monkton Wood Academy, which opened as an academy in December 2023, has made effective progress in improving behaviour and attitudes since the predecessor school was judged inadequate. Arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
At a Glance
23.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
72 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Attainment 8 has improved from 41.4 to 42.2 (2025 to 2026), while gCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 37% (2025 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 42.2 | 37.1% |
| Disadvantaged(55) | - | 26.3 | 12.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(196) | - | 46.7 | 43.9% |
| Boys(116) | - | 41.6 | 44% |
| Girls(135) | - | 42.7 | 31.1% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(29) | - | 43.9 | 48.3% |
| Non mobile(246) | - | 42.4 | 37% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.16%
Exclusion rate
774
Suspensions
61.14%
Suspension rate
151 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,266 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby secondary schools
Latest from Monkton Wood Academy
New kitchen and dining facility opens at Monkton Wood
9 Sep 2026
Monkton Wood teachers complete epic cycle ride
8 Sep 2026
Students celebrate strong GCSE exam results
20 Aug 2026
Monkton Wood students celebrate maths success
16 Jul 2026
Success for The SPACE students with spectacular Chicago production
16 Jul 2026
Monkton Wood on the Somerset Gazette website
8 Jul 2026
From Monkton Wood Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Monkton Wood Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Monkton Wood Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Monkton Wood Academy is in Somerset; for families living there:
Apply to Somerset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Monkton Wood Academy
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What the report includes for Monkton Wood Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Monkton Wood Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Somerset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Monkton Wood Academy for 2024 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Somerset got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
88%
Available places
1,256 pupils
1,430 places
174 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Taunton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Taunton
Across Somerset council
Places available
4,902
Applications
4,659
Got 1st preference
92.1%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
262
SEN Support
48
EHC Plans
24.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Monkton Wood Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 14 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,267
Total Pupils
602
Boys
665
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
74
Teachers
17.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,282
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,917
Per pupil
£8644k
Total funding
£283k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.3%
Overall absence
28.5%
Persistent absence
1,226
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Monkton Wood Academy
Showing 10 of 11 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Monkton Wood Academy
What are GCSE results like at Monkton Wood Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Monkton Wood Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.2. 37% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Monkton Wood Academy's Ofsted rating?
Monkton Wood Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in December 2023. Before that, as Heathfield Community School (URN 123883), it was rated Inadequate in March 2023.
What is the catchment area for Monkton Wood Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Monkton Wood Academy is oversubscribed, Somerset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Monkton Wood Academy?
Monkton Wood Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 1430 places.
How big are the classes at Monkton Wood Academy?
Classes at Monkton Wood Academy average 26.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Monkton Wood Academy?
Monkton Wood Academy has around 1267 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Monkton Wood Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Monkton Wood Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 14 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Monkton Wood Academy?
11.3% of sessions were missed at Monkton Wood Academy in 2024/25. 28.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Monkton Wood Academy?
Apply through Somerset's coordinated admissions process, naming Monkton Wood Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Monkton Wood Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Monkton Wood Academy?
Monkton Wood Academy is at School Road, Monkton Heathfield, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 8PD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)