School Chooser

Selwood Academy

Middle · ages 9-13MixedAcademyChurch of England/Methodist658 pupilsFromeSomerset
School Chooser Score · secondary phase
45
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 26 to 66
Out of 100. Better than 33% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
Primary phase: 38, in line with similar schools
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, June 2022
Reached the expected level at 1171%England 63%
Attendance93.5%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families21%A bit fewer than most schools
Places46 spare658 pupils, 704 places
Pupils per teacher19.6School workforce census

Selwood Academy is a converter academy in Frome for boys and girls aged 9 to 13. It has 658 pupils and room for 704. About 21 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 45 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 33% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Berkley Road, Frome, BA11 2EF01373 462798selwood.somerset.sch.ukMr Daniel Jeffries headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 28 June 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

144 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1171%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level9%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 50%50%20172018: 52%52%20182019: 49%49%20192023: 56%56%20232024: 69%69%20242025: 71%71%2025
Since 2017: +21%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SomersetEngland
Pupils tested144141131197165134
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths71%69%56%49%52%50%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths9%9%5%7%2%7%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0105.0102.0101.0103.0103.0105.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0104.0104.0100.0100.0101.0103.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0101.0101.0102.0102.0103.0104.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard76%74%63%59%67%60%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard87%82%77%58%58%59%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)87%87%85%73%66%82%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.5-2.7-2.3-3.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.3-4.2-3.9-4.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged51%45%23%36%26%35%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged78%76%66%53%60%56%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

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 4 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 the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
51%78%
Gap 27 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
77%64%
Gap 13 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
71%71%
No gapEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
5%9%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England/Methodist school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places596 pupils for 704 places, 2024/25
85% full

108 places were empty (15% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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.

Pupils on roll658Census January 2026
Places70493% full
Pupils from low-income families21%21% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%90 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%18 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.323 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)21%£189,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls351 / 307
White British pupils88%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (36), Autistic spectrum disorder (24), Specific learning difficulty (18), Moderate learning difficulty (14), language and communications needs (13), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll658602598607620686
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals21%23%27%26%23%21%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%5%5%6%4%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support15%19%16%14%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%4%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance93.5%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school16.7%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils14.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.5%7.6%7.3%7.7%3.6%4.8%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.0%4.6%4.9%6.1%3.0%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.5%3.1%2.5%1.6%0.6%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence16.7%21.0%22.1%24.0%6.9%6.9%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate14.517.617.314.712.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers33.6full-time equivalent, 38 people
Pupils per teacher19.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,081
Teachers who left in the year5%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.42024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,035England £7,965. Total £4.2m
Income per pupil£7,144England £8,423. Total £4.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,917England £4,444
Money in reserve38%A lot put by: £1.6m, £2,705 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out+£66kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,035spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m20212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate52 per 1,000 people43% lower than the England average
Nearest bus stop60 mSelwood School, 20 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Hayesdown First SchoolAcademy430 m299Good 202472Compare
North Hill HouseIndependent710 m64Not inspectedCompare
Fromefield Manor SchoolIndependent770 m17Not inspectedCompare
Frome Community CollegeAcademy820 m1,298Good 202320Compare
St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, FromeChurch of England0.8 miles185Requires improvement 20241Compare
St Louis Catholic Primary School, FromeAcademy0.8 miles178No overall grade 202534Compare
Vallis First SchoolCouncil0.8 miles185No overall grade 202529Compare
Avanti Park SchoolFree school1.0 miles503Good 202471Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Selwood Academy with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats33%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 45 is 10 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 55 · highest 91100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 45 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 45% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 26 to 66. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection17% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.04
Ofsted grade, 4.2 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.31
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.18
2024/25; 616 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What pupils do next0%no data
What parents say0%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 Selwood Academy a good school?

It is about average. Selwood Academy scores 45 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 33% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 26 to 66, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Selwood Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Selwood Academy good at its last full inspection on 28 June 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Selwood Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 71% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 9% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Selwood Academy have?

658 pupils aged 9 to 13 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 704 places, so it is 93% full.

Is Selwood Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 108 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Selwood Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 17% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Selwood Academy?

The average class had 27.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Selwood Academy have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Berkley Road, Frome, BA11 2EF
Telephone
01373 462798
Website
www.selwood.somerset.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Daniel Jeffries
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Middle school, ages 9-13
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England/Methodist, Diocese of Bath and Wells
Multi-academy trust
Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership (44 schools)
Local authority
Somerset
Ward
Frome North
Constituency
Frome and East Somerset
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2011 (academy converter)
URN
137741 · LAESTAB 9334552 · UKPRN 10035804
Formerly
Selwood Anglican/Methodist Middle School

Where these figures come from