School Chooser

Taunton School

Independent · ages 8-19MixedIndependentChristian667 pupilsSixth formTauntonSomerset
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths2%England 46%
Places113 spare667 pupils, 780 places
Average A level gradeB2024/25
Pupils on roll667Census January 2024

Taunton School is an independent school in Taunton for boys and girls aged 8 to 19. It has 667 pupils and room for 780.

Staplegrove Road, Taunton, TA2 6AD01823 703703tauntonschool.co.ukMr James Johnson headteacherAll details

Inspection

This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

184 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score18.4
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths2%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths2%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 19.719.720182019: 23.623.620192022: 14.314.320222023: 17.917.920232024: 21.721.720242025: 18.418.42025
Since 2018: -1.3
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018SomersetEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11184174175156109134
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 818.421.717.914.323.619.744.346.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths2%3%0%0%0%0%41%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths2%4%0%0%0%1%62%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score1.581.781.601.592.611.973.874.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%33%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 15 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.

Strongest subjects

Combined Science74%grades 9 to 5, England 36%
Physical Education87%grades 9 to 5, England 56%
Art and Design88%grades 9 to 5, England 58%
English Language77%grades 9 to 5, England 54%
What is taught hereOffers triple science, music, classics.

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
English Language115 entries
77%England 54%
74%England 36%
Biology33 entries
97%England 82%
Chemistry32 entries
97%England 81%
Physics32 entries
100%England 82%
87%England 56%
83%England 49%
Social Studies17 entries
65%England 54%
Art and Design17 entries
88%England 58%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
English Language11529%77%93%54%
Combined Science7439%74%91%36%
Biology3382%97%100%82%
Chemistry3281%97%100%81%
Physics3281%100%100%82%
Physical Education3145%87%90%56%
Other Modern Languages1883%83%83%49%
Social Studies1712%65%71%54%
Art and Design1735%88%100%58%
Classical Civilisation933%67%89%58%
Music9100%100%100%61%
Mathematics90%67%78%53%
Latin7100%100%100%82%
Geography617%50%67%51%
English Literature60%50%67%58%

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.

A level and sixth-form results, 2025

176 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeB39.8 points per entry
A level progress+0.21Against students elsewhere with the same GCSE grades. 0 is average.
AAB or better25%with two subjects universities favour
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018
Students176171136137258250
Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry39.8033.2937.6140.1537.9538.84
Average A level gradeBC+B-BB-B
Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS42.1936.8838.0041.0737.7339.75
AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects25%22%26%27%22%28%
A level progressA level value added+0.21-0.14+0.34+0.20
Applied general courses: points per entry39.1039.4636.6142.44

A level subjects

18 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.

Strongest A levels

Chemistry94%A* to B, England 53% · 16 entries
English Literature81%A* to B, England 52% · 16 entries
Fine Art90%A* to B, England 65% · 10 entries
Psychology70%A* to B, England 46% · 27 entries
A levels taught hereThe small number is how many students sat each one in 2025.
SubjectsMathematics38Psychology27Biology20Geography19English Literature16Chemistry16Economics15Physics13Business Studies12History11Religious Studies10Fine Art10Classical Civilisation9Design and Technology (Product Design)8Mathematics (Further)8Physical Education / Sports Studies8Chinese7Photography5
Every A level subject against England, 2025
Mathematics38 entries · 53% A* or A · 100% passed
71%England 60%
Psychology27 entries · 26% A* or A · 100% passed
70%England 46%
Biology20 entries · 50% A* or A · 95% passed
70%England 49%
Geography19 entries · 16% A* or A · 100% passed
37%England 51%
English Literature16 entries · 38% A* or A · 100% passed
81%England 52%
Chemistry16 entries · 63% A* or A · 100% passed
94%England 53%
Economics15 entries · 53% A* or A · 100% passed
67%England 57%
Physics13 entries · 31% A* or A · 100% passed
54%England 51%
Business Studies12 entries · 8% A* or A · 100% passed
67%England 47%
History11 entries · 18% A* or A · 100% passed
73%England 55%
Religious Studies10 entries · 40% A* or A · 100% passed
60%England 50%
Fine Art10 entries · 50% A* or A · 100% passed
90%England 65%
Classical Civilisation9 entries · 44% A* or A · 100% passed
67%England 55%
Design and Technology (Product Design)8 entries · 25% A* or A · 100% passed
38%England 38%
Mathematics (Further)8 entries · 63% A* or A · 100% passed
100%England 76%
Physical Education / Sports Studies8 entries · 0% A* or A · 100% passed
38%England 41%
Chinese7 entries · 57% A* or A · 100% passed
86%England 64%
Photography5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 58%

A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.

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. Every gap at this school is 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

Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
17.519.4
Gap 1.9England 3.0
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 Christian school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll667Census January 2024
Places78086% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support25%168 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%4 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls360 / 307
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll667687727740723583
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support19%18%15%17%27%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%0%0%0%0%

What pupils do next

After sixth form

Where the 134 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training69%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training69%72%69%
Education52%47%54%
Apprenticeship0%2%0%
Work18%23%15%
Not in education, work or training10%10%8%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m23012 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate59 per 1,000 people35% lower than the England average
Nearest bus stop200 mTaunton School, 19 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Taunton Preparatory SchoolIndependent0 m588Not inspectedCompare
St Andrew's Church SchoolAcademy760 m223No overall grade 20249Compare
Staplegrove Church SchoolAcademy840 m206Good 202262Compare
North Town AcademyAcademy980 m470Good 202345Compare
The Castle SchoolAcademy0.7 miles1,207Outstanding 202388Compare
Priorswood Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles211Good 202215Compare
Wellsprings Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles279Not inspected11Compare
Park House SchoolIndependent0.8 miles20Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Taunton School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Taunton School yet.

How good are Taunton School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 2% 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 18.4, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does Taunton School have?

667 pupils aged 8 to 19 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 780 places, so it is 86% full.

Does Taunton School have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B. 18 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.

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

Contact and details

Address
Staplegrove Road, Taunton, TA2 6AD
Telephone
01823 703703
Website
www.tauntonschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr James Johnson
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 8-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Christian
Local authority
Somerset
Ward
Rowbarton & Staplegrove
Constituency
Taunton and Wellington
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 January 1914
URN
123914 · LAESTAB 9336025 · UKPRN 10017226

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from