School Chooser

West Monkton Church of England School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England465 pupilsNurseryTauntonSomerset
School Chooser Score
27
Below
similar schools
Likely range 16 to 45
Out of 100. Better than 4% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, May 2023
Reached the expected level at 1160%England 63%
Attendance95.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families13%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull465 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher24.1School workforce census

West Monkton Church of England School is a converter academy in Taunton for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 465 pupils, 45 more than it has places for. About 13 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 27 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Bridgwater Road, Bathpool, Taunton, TA2 8FT01823 412582westmonktonschool.co.ukMiss Keira Hayden headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 17 May 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1160%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level2%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 62%62%20172018: 63%63%20182019: 48%48%20192023: 43%43%20232024: 49%49%20242025: 60%60%2025
Since 2017: -2%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†SomersetEngland
Pupils tested575961564942
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths60%49%43%48%63%62%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths2%8%8%11%10%5%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0103.0102.0102.0104.0103.0105.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0102.0101.0102.0103.0103.0103.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0102.0100.0103.0105.0103.0104.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard72%64%57%59%78%69%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard72%58%52%64%76%76%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)72%58%61%68%76%79%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.2-1.7-0.9-0.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.1-1.2-1.5+0.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged38%43%14%36%36%33%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged66%50%51%52%71%67%

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.

† These results are for West Monkton Church of England Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2019. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. 1 of the 3 gaps 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 the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
38%66%
Gap 28 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
48%70%
Gap 22 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%2%
Gap 2 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 school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full412 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
98% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 560 m away in 2023. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2023. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 560 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2023 Primary6013460560 mLA

What a home within 560 m of the school costs

Typical sale price within 560 m of the school£269,000half sold for £228k to £327k
Homes sold122December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district-4%a typical home in the district sells for £280,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

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 roll465Census January 2026
Places420111% full
Pupils from low-income families12%13% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English11%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%64 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%20 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.317 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)13%£82,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls239 / 226
White British pupils85%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (28), Specific learning difficulty (21), emotional and mental health (12), Autistic spectrum disorder (10), Physical disability (5), Hearing impairment (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll465413416418420423
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals12%14%14%14%13%7%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language11%10%11%10%6%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%10%13%11%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%3%3%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school8.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils5.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.7%5.1%5.9%5.1%2.6%3.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%4.0%4.4%4.0%2.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%1.1%1.5%1.2%0.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence8.1%9.1%12.9%8.3%4.4%6.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate5.35.31.72.11.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00010

Staff and money

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

Teachers18.7full-time equivalent, 21 people
Pupils per teacher24.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers95%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants20.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,558
Teachers who left in the year23%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.82024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£5,513England £7,128. Total £2.3m
Income per pupil£6,518England £7,587. Total £2.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,726England £3,405
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £146k, £353 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£415kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,513spent 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 m38712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate103 per 1,000 people13% higher than the England average
Nearest bus stop90 mWest Monkton Primary School, 21 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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Creech St Michael Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England0.8 miles257Report card 20265Compare
Nerrols Primary School and NurseryFree school1.1 miles279Good 202337Compare
Lyngford Park Primary SchoolAcademy1.4 miles284Good 202323Compare
Ruishton Church of England SchoolAcademy1.4 miles215Good 202335Compare
Minerva Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles140Requires improvement 20226Compare
Cheddon Fitzpaine Church SchoolAcademy1.6 miles136Good 202455Compare
Blackbrook Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles222Good 202362Compare
Priorswood Primary SchoolAcademy2.0 miles211Good 202215Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares West Monkton Church of England School with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats4%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 27 is 38 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 21 · middle 65 · highest 100100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 27 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 27% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 16 to 45. 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 years25%below
-0.09
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 57 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.17
DfE progress measure; 57 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.05
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.05
2024/25; 357 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.15
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 57 pupils
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 West Monkton Church of England School a good school?

The figures are weak. West Monkton Church of England School scores 27 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 16 to 45, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is West Monkton Church of England School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated West Monkton Church of England School good at its last full inspection on 17 May 2023.

How good are West Monkton Church of England School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 60% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does West Monkton Church of England School have?

465 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 111% full.

Is West Monkton Church of England School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2023 the last place went to a child living 560 m away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at West Monkton Church of England School?

Pupils were in school 95.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at West Monkton Church of England School?

The average class had 26.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Bridgwater Road, Bathpool, Taunton, TA2 8FT
Telephone
01823 412582
Website
www.westmonktonschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Miss Keira Hayden
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Bath and Wells
Multi-academy trust
The Oak Partnership Trust (6 schools)
Local authority
Somerset
Ward
Monkton & North Curry
Constituency
Taunton and Wellington
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2019 (academy converter)
URN
146676 · LAESTAB 9333195 · UKPRN 10082181
Formerly
West Monkton Church of England Primary School

Where these figures come from