Kingsmead Academy Review 2026, a rebuilding phase with clearer routines and rising expectations

Kingsmead Academy serves students aged 11 to 16 in the Wiveliscombe area of Somerset, with a published capacity of 1,050. It is a school with a long local footprint, inaugurated as Wiveliscombe Secondary Modern School on 09 November 1953, and it has expanded and adapted with the area over time.

The recent story is about stability and reset. A new headteacher, John Eddy, took up post in January 2023, and the school joined the Cabot Learning Federation on 01 July 2025, a shift that typically brings sharper shared systems, wider professional development, and more external challenge for improvement.

Inspection evidence places Kingsmead in a mixed position. In December 2024, behaviour and personal development were judged Good, while quality of education and leadership and management were Requires Improvement, with safeguarding confirmed as effective.

This is a school that is trying to feel predictable again, in a good way. External evidence describes a period of leadership turbulence followed by a clearer vision and raised expectations, with routines and consequences applied more consistently. The practical implication for families is that day to day experience should feel calmer and more structured than it did in a more unsettled phase, even if not all improvement work is yet embedded across subjects.

Students appear to have positive relationships with adults and report feeling happy and safe. That matters in a rural comprehensive where many families value continuity, and where the school often functions as a hub across multiple villages. A key point is that the school’s approach is not framed as a quick fix. The language used in official evaluation is about changes that are “recent” and still bedding in, so parents should expect a trajectory rather than an overnight transformation.

There are also hints of distinctive character beyond lessons. The school runs The Old Railway Farm with students involved in its operation, and it uses student leadership routes such as a student council and subject ambassadors, including older students reading with younger pupils. For many families, these details are a useful indicator of belonging and responsibility, particularly for children who thrive when school is more than classroom instruction.

Kingsmead’s GCSE outcomes sit around the middle of the national distribution on FindMySchool’s England ranking for GCSE performance. Ranked 2,342nd in England and 5th in Taunton for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), it sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). This is consistent with a school that has some strengths and some underperforming areas, rather than a uniformly high or uniformly weak picture.

The attainment and progress indicators reinforce that mixed narrative. The school’s Progress 8 score is -0.32, which indicates that, on average, students make below average progress compared with pupils with similar starting points nationally. This is one of the most important numbers for families, because it speaks to how effectively the school turns prior attainment into GCSE outcomes.

On the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measures provided, the average EBacc APS is 3.83, compared with an England average of 4.08. Meanwhile, 18.5% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across EBacc subjects. For parents, the practical reading is that EBacc performance is an area where stronger curriculum consistency and more effective assessment practice could materially improve outcomes, particularly for students who benefit from tighter sequencing and clearer feedback loops.

Families comparing options should use the FindMySchool local hub comparison tools to place these numbers alongside other nearby secondaries, then read the inspection evidence on curriculum precision and assessment as context for why outcomes may not yet match the school’s ambitions.

Kingsmead is working on a curriculum that is intentionally broad, with a stated focus on ambition. The inspection evidence supports that leaders have revised the curriculum to ensure a wide range of subjects, but it also identifies a specific weakness: in some subjects, the knowledge sequence is not defined with enough precision. The implication is that students can end up repeating content instead of deepening understanding, which tends to affect outcomes most for middle attainers who rely on carefully staged learning steps.

Assessment is the other crucial lever. Current evidence indicates that classroom checks for understanding do not always accurately identify what pupils know and can do, and that work is not consistently matched to starting points. In practical terms, this is the difference between a class where misconceptions are spotted early and corrected, and one where gaps persist until late in the course. It also means parents should be alert to how the school communicates progress, including whether feedback is specific and whether intervention is timely.

There are some clear strengths within this improvement agenda. Reading has been given higher priority, with weaker readers identified quickly and supported to improve fluency and comprehension. That combination, early identification plus targeted support, is an evidence-based approach that tends to benefit both literacy outcomes and wider access to the curriculum, especially in subjects that depend heavily on vocabulary and extended writing.

Where Students Go Next

Because Kingsmead is an 11 to 16 school, the main transition point is post 16. The school’s careers programme is described as including guest speakers and visits, and there is particular emphasis on helping Year 11 students make informed choices about education and training routes. The implication is that students should receive structured guidance on sixth form, college, and technical pathways, rather than a one size fits all push towards a single route.

For families, the most useful practical step is to ask how early guidance begins, how personal it is, and how it supports different profiles, including higher attainers aiming for academic sixth forms and students who are better served by technical or vocational options. The school also meets provider access requirements, which should help students understand approved technical education routes alongside academic ones.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Somerset Council and the national deadline for on time applications for September 2026 entry is 31 October 2025, with outcomes issued on 02 March 2026 (or the next working day if that falls on a weekend or bank holiday). Late applications are recorded as late and are considered after on time applications, which is important for families moving house or deciding late.

The school has a Published Admission Number of 195 for Year 7 entry in 2026. When oversubscribed, priority is given in a clear order: students with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school; looked after and previously looked after children; children in the designated catchment with a sibling at the academy at the time of admission; children in the catchment; children attending specified feeder primary schools; eligible children of staff; then other applicants. Distance is used as a tie breaker, measured in a straight line using a geographical information system method.

The feeder list is a practical detail for families weighing odds. It includes Wiveliscombe Primary School, Bishops Lydeard CofE Primary School, Cotford St Luke Primary School, and several other local primaries. For parents trying to sense-check realism, it is often the interaction of catchment and feeder primary priority that shapes who gets offered a place, more than headline popularity.

In-year admissions run directly through the school. Applicants should receive a decision in writing within ten school days, and where a place is offered it is held open for 21 school days with acceptance required within that window.

The wellbeing picture is strongest where it is tied to systems. Attendance is actively promoted and monitored, with support used to reduce absence, including a re-engagement room and wellbeing support. The practical implication is that families should see a more intervention-led approach for students who drift into persistent absence, which matters both for safeguarding and for attainment.

Students’ personal development is described as carefully designed, with opportunities to discuss moral dilemmas and to learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy physically and mentally. Importantly, safeguarding arrangements are confirmed as effective, which is the non-negotiable baseline for any school, regardless of academic trajectory.

For students with special educational needs and disabilities, the school identifies needs accurately and enables students to access the full curriculum with additional support where appropriate. There is also a clear commitment to inclusion in wider school life, including before and after school clubs, trips, and performances, with reasonable adjustments made to ensure participation.

The most distinctive strand is applied, responsibility-based activity. The Old Railway Farm is not a generic enrichment line, it is a concrete enterprise students help run, and it complements the idea of learning by doing. For some students, especially those who gain confidence through practical contribution, that kind of experience can be the difference between simply attending school and feeling part of it.

There is evidence of structured arts and performance opportunity. The inspection evidence notes participation in drama and music performances, and the school’s subject pages point to specific clubs such as Music Tech Club and a GCSE music support space. These details matter because they indicate staff capacity and timetabled commitment, rather than a reliance on ad hoc activity.

STEM enrichment is also visible. Computing information refers to clubs using Lego Robotics kits, and school communications describe a weekly after school Cyber Club for students in Years 8 to 10. The practical implication is that students with an interest in computing can build skills beyond the classroom, including programming and cyber awareness that increasingly aligns with both apprenticeships and later study.

Trips and wider experiences appear to be part of the yearly rhythm. The school runs breakfast and sports clubs and encourages participation in trips and the school play, including residential trips in Year 7 to France. It also runs Enrichment Week, including involvement from local practitioners, such as a local sculptor working with Key Stage 3 students on clay and stone.

Finally, there is a track record of recognised awards through Duke of Edinburgh, with a strong team completing the Bronze award each year. For families, this can be a useful marker of sustained organisation and staffing, because DofE typically requires consistent adult leadership over the full cycle.

The school day structure is clearly set out. Site opens at 08:30, registration and tutor time begins at 08:45, and students leave at 15:20, with total weekly time stated as 32.9 hours.

Before and after school support exists in the form of breakfast and sports club, which can be particularly helpful for families commuting into Wiveliscombe from surrounding villages. Specific wraparound timings are not consistently published across all sources, so parents should confirm current arrangements directly when planning childcare and transport.

Recent investment and building change is part of the practical picture. The school records a major redevelopment programme, including changes to the original main building and completion of a new teaching and administration building, alongside sports hall extension works completed in 2024. This matters because building projects can disrupt daily routines, but they also often improve specialist space and staff working conditions once complete.

• Curriculum consistency is still being embedded. Evidence indicates that in some subjects the knowledge sequence is not defined precisely enough, which can lead to repetition rather than deeper learning. Families with academically driven children may want to ask how subject leaders are tightening sequencing and how quickly this is expected to show in outcomes.

• Assessment practice needs to sharpen. Classroom checks do not always identify gaps accurately, and work is not consistently matched to starting points. That can be frustrating for students who either need more stretch or more scaffolding. Ask how departments are standardising formative assessment and how intervention is targeted.

• Progress measures are currently below average. A Progress 8 score of -0.32 suggests that, across the cohort, GCSE progress is below national average from similar starting points. Parents should look for evidence that improvements in behaviour, attendance support, and curriculum precision are translating into stronger progress over time.

• Admissions are rule-driven and timing-sensitive. For September 2026 entry, applications close on 31 October 2025, and catchment plus feeder primary links can matter. If you are on the boundary of the catchment, use FindMySchool’s map tools to understand your likely priority position, then verify against the council’s published arrangements.

Kingsmead Academy is in a rebuilding phase that looks more coherent than it did during a period of churn. Behaviour and personal development are judged positively and safeguarding is effective, which creates a workable platform for academic improvement.

Who it suits: families in the designated catchment who want a comprehensive 11 to 16 school with clearer expectations, a strengthening pastoral approach, and practical enrichment such as The Old Railway Farm, robotics and computing clubs, and structured opportunities in music, drama and DofE. The biggest question for many families is how quickly curriculum and assessment improvements translate into stronger progress and GCSE outcomes across all subjects.