School profile

Bridgwater College Academy

All-through · Academy sponsor led · Bridgwater, TA6 4QY

Inadequate

Map showing Bridgwater College Academy

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#14,811 of 15,057

Worse than 98% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

GCSE 2025/26

#3,171 of 3,312

Worse than 95% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

Bridgwater College Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 10 Mar 2026

Area360 rating
Inadequate
Inclusion
Urgent improvement
Curriculum and teaching
Urgent improvement
Achievement
Urgent improvement
Attendance and behaviour
Urgent improvement
Personal development and wellbeing
Needs attention
Leadership and governance
Urgent improvement
Early years
Needs attention
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhaseAll-through
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages3 to 16
Pupils1,561
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherHeadteacher Laura Campbell/ Sarah Evans
TrustBRIDGWATER & TAUNTON COLLEGE TRUST
Local authoritySomerset
Opened01 Sept 2012
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 138375.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolSomersetEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths25%, worse than England, worse than Somerset57%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.4%, worse than England, worse than Somerset7%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.100, worse than England, worse than Somerset105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.99, worse than England, worse than Somerset103105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.101, worse than England, worse than Somerset104105
Expected standard in reading46%, worse than England, worse than Somerset72%76%
Expected standard in writing38%, worse than England, worse than Somerset70%73%
Expected standard in maths42%, worse than England, worse than Somerset70%75%
Pupils taking tests81--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolSomersetEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.33.8, worse than England, worse than Somerset43.446.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.39.4%, worse than England, worse than Somerset60.3%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.19.2%, worse than England, worse than Somerset39.7%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.3.5%, worse than England, worse than Somerset9.1%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths32.8%, worse than England, worse than Somerset55.9%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4198--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils1,561
Girls733
Boys828
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.35.9%
First language not English19.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,890
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.1,520
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.19.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.397
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.67
Average class size24.8

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
73.7%
Other White
12.9%
Other Asian
2.3%
Other mixed
2.2%
Indian
2.1%
Other ethnic group
1.7%
African
1.5%
White and Asian
1.1%
White and Black African
0.6%
White and Black Caribbean
0.3%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher16.7
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.2
Teachers (FTE)93.28
Teaching assistants (FTE)48.06
Support staff (FTE)86.59
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2595
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2582.8
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/253.8
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/258.4

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.76
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.101
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.68
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.68
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.120
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.168
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.107
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.107
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSomersetEngland
Overall absence10.6%, worse than England, worse than Somerset9.3%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.28.6%, worse than England, worse than Somerset24.2%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.5.7%, worse than England, worse than Somerset4.7%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate100%
Pupils with one or more suspensions15.6%
Permanent exclusion rate1%
Permanent exclusions15

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.86.1%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.77.7%
Further education69.9%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.7.8%
Sixth form college6%
Apprenticeship6%
Employment2.4%
School sixth form0%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Bridgwater College Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.5 miPrimarySt John and St Francis Church SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.5 miPrimaryEastover Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryWillowdown Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.1 miPrimaryNorthgate Primary SchoolFree schools
Good
1.3 miSecondaryChilton Trinity SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.3 miSecondaryRobert Blake AcademyAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.4 miPrimaryHamp Nursery and Infants' SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.4 miPrimaryWestover Green Community School and Autism CentreAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.4 miPrimaryHamp AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.6 miPrimarySomerset Bridge Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Bridgwater College Academy

What is Bridgwater College Academy's Ofsted rating?

Bridgwater College Academy is rated Inadequate, last inspected on 10 Mar 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Bridgwater College Academy rank in England?

Bridgwater College Academy ranks 14,811 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 98% of schools) and 3,171 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 95% of schools).

What are Bridgwater College Academy's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 25% of pupils at Bridgwater College Academy met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

What are Bridgwater College Academy's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 19.2% of pupils at Bridgwater College Academy got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 33.8 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into Bridgwater College Academy?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Bridgwater College Academy made 76 offers from 101 applications (1.3 per offer), and 68 of 68 first-preference applicants got a place. For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, it made 120 offers from 168 applications (1.4 per offer), and 107 of 107 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Bridgwater College Academy?

Bridgwater College Academy has 1,561 pupils aged 3 to 16.

What is the capacity of Bridgwater College Academy?

Bridgwater College Academy had 1,890 school places in 2024/25.

Does Bridgwater College Academy have a sixth form?

No, Bridgwater College Academy teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at Bridgwater College Academy?

At Bridgwater College Academy, the average class had 24.8 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.7 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Bridgwater College Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at Bridgwater College Academy missed 10.6% of sessions (England 8%), and 28.6% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.