Monkton Wood Academy

About Monkton Wood Academy

Monkton Wood Academy is a large mixed secondary school and sixth form in Somerset, serving 1,266 pupils aged 11 to 18. It sits within a local authority that has 38 secondary schools, none of which currently hold an Outstanding Ofsted rating. The top-performing peers in the area, according to a composite ranking, are The Kings of Wessex Academy, Brymore Academy, and Sexey's School. Monkton Wood's own most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2023, judged the school Inadequate overall, a significant downgrade from its previous Requires Improvement rating. The inspection found the quality of education, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all to be Inadequate. The sixth form, however, was rated Good, offering a more positive picture for post-16 students. Parental feedback, collected between September 2024 and September 2025 from 72 respondents, is notably downbeat: just 17% would recommend the school, and 83% would not. Only 29% of parents agreed their child is happy, while 70% disagreed or strongly disagreed.

Academically, the school's performance data is not provided in this profile, but the Ofsted report and parent views offer some insight into the learning environment. The previous inspection in 2021 rated all areas as Requires Improvement, so the decline to Inadequate in 2023 suggests worsening outcomes or provision. The sixth form, rated Good, may be a relative strength, though no specific A-Level or Progress 8 figures are available here to compare against the Somerset local authority average Progress 8 score of -0.2. Parent perceptions of academic rigour are mixed: 36% agreed the school has high expectations for their child, but 54% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Similarly, 33% agreed their child does well at the school, while 65% disagreed or strongly disagreed. On the positive side, 66% of parents agreed there is a good range of subjects available, and 68% agreed their child can take part in clubs and activities, suggesting breadth of opportunity despite wider concerns.

The school offers a wide array of facilities, including a swimming pool, sports hall, theatre, library, and a sixth form centre, alongside sports such as rowing, hockey, and rugby. There are also numerous clubs, from orchestra and choir to Young Enterprise and Model UN. Monkton Wood provides support for a broad spectrum of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. However, parent views on SEND support are stark: 78% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need. For the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school was not oversubscribed, with 230 total applications for 267 places and 153 first-preference offers. This suggests availability for families seeking a place, but the combination of an Inadequate Ofsted rating and very low parental satisfaction means this is a school that will require careful investigation, particularly around behaviour, safety, and leadership. It may suit families who value the sixth form provision and extensive extracurricular offer, but who are prepared to engage closely with the school's improvement journey.

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