King Arthur's School
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King Arthur's School is a sponsored academy in Wincanton for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 450 pupils and room for 700. About 28 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 26 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.
West Hill, Wincanton, BA9 9BX0196332368kingarthurs.org.ukMr Jonty Archibald headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 29 April 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
73 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019† | 2018† | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 73 | 78 | 73 | 51 | 91 | 74 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 40.6 | 40.3 | 36.8 | 43.1 | 38.7 | 43.1 | 44.3 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.21 | -0.59 | -0.02 | -0.45 | -0.04 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 34% | 32% | 26% | 35% | 31% | 30% | 41% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 56% | 54% | 47% | 51% | 51% | 50% | 62% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.45 | 3.41 | 3.08 | 3.56 | 3.40 | 3.73 | 3.87 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 21% | 19% | 18% | 24% | 29% | 28% | 33% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 38.8 | 34.9 | 30.0 | 37.8 | 28.1 | 40.1 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 41.0 | 43.0 | 40.3 | 44.8 | 41.7 | 44.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 27.5 | 22.5 | 30.4 | 18.3 | 33.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 62.6 | 55.8 | 65.2 | 48.8 | 58.6 | – | – |
† These results are for King Arthur's Community School, the school this one replaced in April 2019. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 8 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: English Language (35% here, 54% across England), History (38% here, 52% across England), Art and Design (45% here, 58% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 72 | 8% | 44% | 60% | 53% | 2,134 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 72 | 6% | 35% | 60% | 54% | 2,851 of 3,210 |
| Combined Science | 71 | 7% | 35% | 56% | 36% | 1,463 of 3,084 |
| English Literature | 71 | 7% | 51% | 70% | 58% | 1,978 of 3,202 |
| Art and Design | 53 | 11% | 45% | 76% | 58% | 2,037 of 2,818 |
| Geography | 53 | 6% | 43% | 57% | 51% | 1,869 of 3,116 |
| History | 48 | 13% | 38% | 50% | 52% | 2,395 of 3,126 |
| French | 13 | 15% | 77% | 92% | 60% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
236 places were empty (35% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 12% since 2021/22.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Somerset council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (34), emotional and mental health (16), Moderate learning difficulty (14), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), language and communications needs (5), Physical disability (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 450 | 448 | 468 | 463 | 403 | 365 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 28% | 26% | 29% | 27% | 24% | 22% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 6% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 6% | 9% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 15% | 15% | 10% | 9% | 14% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.9% | 9.3% | 9.2% | 9.4% | 5.8% | 5.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.2% | 5.4% | 5.8% | 6.2% | 4.3% | – | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.8% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 1.5% | – | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 28.1% | 27.7% | 31.4% | 31.3% | 17.3% | 13.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 57.4 | 42.3 | 30.7 | 24.8 | 9.3 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 73 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 88%, compared with 92% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 90% | 90% | 95% | 97% |
| Education | 79% | 67% | 83% | 84% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 14% | 7% | 8% |
| Work | 5% | 10% | 5% | 5% |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 8% | 5% | 3% |
Staff
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexey's School | Academy | 3.8 miles | 633 | Good 2023 | 61 | Compare |
| Ansford Academy | Academy | 4.7 miles | 469 | Report card 2026 | 46 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares King Arthur's School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than King Arthur's School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sturminster Newton High School | Academy | 9.9 miles | 605 | Report card 2026 | 34 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 26 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 26% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 18 to 36. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.14 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 73 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | below | -0.12 | Ofsted grade, 1.4 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.09 | DfE progress measure; 73 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.04 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.05 | 2024/25; 470 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | -0.03 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 73 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | -0.01 | 73 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is King Arthur's School a good school?
The figures are weak. King Arthur's School scores 26 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 18 to 36, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is King Arthur's School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated King Arthur's School not judged at its last full inspection on 29 April 2025.
How good are King Arthur's School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 34% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 40.6, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does King Arthur's School have?
450 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 700 places, so it is 64% full.
Is King Arthur's School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 236 places were empty in 2024/25 (35% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at King Arthur's School?
Pupils were in school 91.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 28% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at King Arthur's School?
The average class had 20.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does King Arthur's School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 90% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- West Hill, Wincanton, BA9 9BX
- Telephone
- 0196332368
- Website
- www.kingarthurs.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Jonty Archibald
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Sherborne Area Schools' Trust (18 schools)
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Ward
- Wincanton & Bruton
- Constituency
- Glastonbury and Somerton
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2019 (new provision)
- URN
- 147016 · LAESTAB 9334006 · UKPRN 10082916
- Formerly
- King Arthur's Community School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.