Monkton Wood Academy Review 2026: A large Taunton secondary focused on behaviour reset and inclusion

A school in transition can feel unsettled, or it can feel sharply purposeful. Here, the story is clearly the second. Since the academy opened in December 2023, leadership has concentrated on consistent routines, calmer classrooms, and a clearer line between expectations and support. An urgent Ofsted inspection in May 2025 focused specifically on behaviour and safeguarding, and concluded that leaders had taken effective action to improve behaviour and that safeguarding arrangements were effective.

Monkton Wood Academy is a large 11 to 18 setting in Monkton Heathfield, near Taunton, with a published capacity of 1,410 pupils. It is part of the Cabot Learning Federation, which matters because the trust’s involvement is central to how improvement work is being organised and monitored.

For parents, the key question is fit. This is a mainstream school with a significant inclusion offer, including a mainstream inclusion base, The Cedar Centre, for students with autism and an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the resource base.

The tone of the school is being set very deliberately. Communication from leadership is direct about uniform, punctuality, lesson focus, and the boundaries around mobile phones. A January 2026 parent letter describes a return to “basic expectations” and frames the work as a reset of whole school standards, reinforced in every lesson. This approach tends to suit families who value clarity and consistency, and it can feel demanding for students who need more time to adjust to routine.

What makes the atmosphere distinctive is the combination of firmness with visible practical support. In the same January 2026 letter, the principal describes holding a stock of jumpers and shoes for students who cannot provide their own at least temporarily, which signals an effort to reduce friction points that can otherwise derail attendance and learning.

The inclusion offer shapes the day to day experience more than many parents realise at first glance. The Cedar Centre is explicitly positioned as a mainstream inclusion base on the school site, supporting up to 25 young people with autism and an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the resource base. Students are expected, over time, to access mainstream lessons, with varying levels of curriculum delivered within the base and a planned pathway back into wider school life. That structure can be reassuring for families who want a mainstream setting without pretending every student can thrive on identical routines from day one.

Leadership is clear. The principal is Hannah Jones. Somerset Council reported her appointment as permanent headteacher in May 2023, before the academy conversion, which helps explain why many communications refer to improvement “since” joining the trust while still describing a longer leadership arc.

This is a school where the performance picture is mixed, and it is important not to over interpret any single measure.

Ranked 3,017th in England and 6th in Taunton for GCSEs, this sits below England average overall, placing it within the bottom 40% of schools in England on the FindMySchool ranking, based on official data.

(FindMySchool GCSE ranking; England rank 3,017 of 4,593; local rank 6 in Taunton.)

Attainment 8 is 41.9, which summarises overall GCSE points across eight qualifications. Progress 8 is -0.38, indicating that, on average, pupils’ progress from the end of primary is below that of similar pupils nationally. These are not verdicts on individual children, but they are useful signals about the current strength of outcomes and consistency of teaching across subjects. (GCSE metrics as published in the FindMySchool dataset.)

The EBacc indicators show that the school’s EBacc average points score is 3.5, and 3.8% achieved grades 5 or above across the English Baccalaureate subjects. That combination suggests that EBacc entry and outcomes are not currently a defining strength in the published data. (GCSE metrics as published in the FindMySchool dataset.)

Post 16 results are less easy to judge from published performance metrics here, because A level grade breakdown data is not available for this school year, and the sixth form is not currently ranked for A level outcomes in the FindMySchool dataset. In practice, parents should treat sixth form as a provision choice driven by curriculum offer and pastoral fit, rather than league table position alone, and ask directly about subject availability, class sizes, and progression routes.

Teaching priorities are closely linked to behaviour and learning habits. The May 2025 urgent inspection letter describes lessons as typically calm with little low level disruption, and notes that expectations are not yet consistently high enough in some lessons, which can affect engagement for a minority of pupils. The implication for families is straightforward. If your child thrives on challenge, it is worth asking how departments are tightening consistency in lesson demand and homework, particularly in core subjects.

The school also shows clear intent around structured support for students who need it. The SEND information report describes a “graduated response” that starts with adaptive teaching and classroom strategies, then moves through targeted in class support, small group or one to one intervention in literacy, numeracy or social, emotional and mental health support, and, where needed, personalised timetables or alternative provision.

For many families, the most practical teaching and learning question is how well mainstream and specialist support integrate. The Cedar Centre model expects students to build strategies and reduce anxiety so they can access mainstream learning more independently over time, while retaining a base for pastoral support and unstructured times. This approach can work well when communication between subject teachers, pastoral staff, and the inclusion team is strong, and when parents are kept closely informed about what is being adjusted and why.

A final point worth noting is the school’s explicit attention to reducing learning time lost during the day, including clear rules around toilets and first aid visits, and a reminder that the school provides basic first aid but does not provide medical care as such. Families with students who have medical needs should confirm individual health care plan arrangements and the practicalities of access passes and support.

Published destination statistics are not publicly available provided for this school, so it is not appropriate to state percentages progressing to university, apprenticeships, or employment.

Instead, the most useful indicator is the structure the school puts around transitions. The school states that careers education, information, advice and guidance is planned around the Gatsby Benchmarks, with an intention that students experience employer encounters, workplace experiences, and guidance over time. A careers education timetable for 2025 to 26 is signposted on the school website, which suggests a planned programme rather than ad hoc events.

For students considering sixth form, the distinctive offer is The SPACE, described in the school’s SEND report as a performing arts sixth form. The sixth form admissions policy sets a published admission number of 35 external places into Year 12, alongside internal progression for existing Year 11 students who meet the minimum academic entry criteria. The minimum entry criteria include a threshold that can be met through English outcomes or through a Level 2 performing arts qualification, which signals that the sixth form is built with creative pathways in mind, not only traditional academic ones.

For parents weighing post 16 routes, the implication is to ask a different set of questions than “Is it good?”. Ask whether the sixth form programme is shaped around specific performing arts outcomes, whether students combine performance with academic study, and how resits in English and maths are organised for those who need them. The policy states that students not achieving grade 4 or above in English or maths GCSE will be required to re sit those subjects in Year 12 alongside their studies.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Somerset Council. The key deadline for September 2026 entry was 31 October 2025, with outcomes notified on 2 March 2026.

Open events for that entry cycle were published as:

• Open Evening: Thursday 11 September 2025, 4.30pm to 7pm

• Open Mornings: 12 and 19 September 2025, from 9.45am

Those dates are now in the past, but they are useful because they indicate that open events typically run in September for families preparing to apply by the October deadline. Parents should check the school’s current open event page for the most up to date dates.

Demand, on the published admissions snapshot available here, does not indicate heavy oversubscription at Year 7. The most recent figures show 230 applications and 267 offers, which aligns with an undersubscribed position overall. (Admissions data as published in the FindMySchool dataset.) This matters for two reasons. First, it can reduce the anxiety often associated with securing a place locally. Second, it means the quality of school experience, not competitiveness, is likely to be the deciding factor for many families.

In year admissions are handled directly, with processes described on the school website. The school also states that proof of address is required for applications, and that appeals follow the standard independent appeal panel route.

Sixth form admission for external applicants is direct to the academy. The sixth form admissions policy states that applications must be submitted by the last Friday in June, with conditional offers made on or before the last Friday in July, subject to oversubscription criteria where needed. That timing is consistent with a model where final numbers become clear around GCSE results day, after internal progression is known.

Pastoral systems are doing heavy lifting here, because the school is balancing rising expectations with the need to keep vulnerable students included and engaged.

The SEND information report describes a student passport approach to communicate barriers and strategies, plus access to a “support to learn” base for short term support, and a structured transition offer for Year 7 students on the SEN register, including a key person and check ins during the transition period. It also states that trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants are available, with referrals possible at any time, and that the school provides quiet lunchtime space plus a supported lunchtime club aimed at helping students build friendships.

Behaviour and attendance are clearly being tracked and managed as improvement levers. The May 2025 urgent inspection letter states that attendance is rising overall because of effective actions, that bullying is not tolerated and is dealt with when it occurs, and that derogatory language is being tackled. It also identifies a continuing challenge. A minority of vulnerable pupils are not yet benefiting enough from what the school offers, particularly around consistent engagement, behaviour, and attendance, and leaders know more remains to be done. Parents of children in this group should ask very practical questions about how individual support plans translate into day to day classroom routines, and how the school intervenes early when attendance and behaviour begin to slide.

Extracurricular provision is one of the more concrete strengths in terms of specific, named opportunities, and it is also aligned to the school’s wider goals around belonging and structured use of time.

A published Term 3 timetable shows a genuinely varied offer across lunch and after school slots. Examples include:

• The Voice newspaper club, which can appeal to students who prefer creative production and communication to competitive sport.

• Spanish Pen Pal letter writing for Year 10, a structured way to build language confidence with a real audience.

• DT Club, 3D printing, which signals that design and technology enrichment is more than theory.

• Dungeons & Dragons, which often works well for students who build friendships through shared, structured activities.

• MWA Voices and MWA Band, plus Percussion Club, providing a pathway for students who want performance opportunities and routine practice.

• Pride Club, indicating visible space for identity based community and allyship.

Sport is present in a practical, accessible way, including open astroturf slots by year group alongside football, netball, and badminton. The implication for families is that participation is not restricted to elite teams. Students can build fitness and friendships through organised access and structured sessions.

Performing arts is a distinctive strand. The school hosts events in the Tacchi Morris Arts Centre, including an annual Young Musician of the Year event referenced in a December 2025 parent letter. Combined with The SPACE’s performing arts sixth form positioning, this suggests that music and performance are not peripheral add ons but part of the school’s identity and improvement narrative.

The school day is clearly set out. Gates open for students from 8.45am to 8.55am, with tutor time and registration from 9.00am to 9.30am, and the day ending at 3.30pm.

For travel, the school is in Monkton Heathfield on the outskirts of Taunton. Many families will use bus routes serving the area or drive and use local drop off arrangements. Given that reception is open for visitors from 8.15am to 4.15pm, parents arranging meetings or support appointments have a defined window for access.

There is no published wraparound care offer in the way primary schools provide it, but there is clear evidence of structured lunchtime and after school activity, which often functions as a practical extension of the day for working families.

• Improvement work is still in progress. The May 2025 urgent inspection letter highlights meaningful gains in behaviour and attendance, but also identifies that expectations are not yet consistently high enough in some lessons and that a minority of vulnerable pupils are not yet benefiting enough from the school’s offer.

• Results are currently below England average overall. GCSE outcomes place the school in the bottom 40% of schools in England in the FindMySchool ranking, and Progress 8 is negative. Families should look closely at subject level patterns and ask what is improving year on year.

• The Cedar Centre is a strong option for some, but it is not a separate specialist school. The resource base is designed to support students with autism and an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the base, with an expectation of increasing access to mainstream lessons over time.

• Sixth form entry has clear timing expectations. External applicants to The SPACE are expected to apply by the last Friday in June, with offers by the last Friday in July, which can feel early for families who start exploring options after GCSE mock results.

Monkton Wood Academy is best understood as a large community secondary in Taunton working through a structured reset, with behaviour, attendance, and safeguarding culture as the foundation for wider academic improvement. The improvement narrative is evidence based, including an Ofsted visit focused on behaviour and safeguarding, and a clear inclusion model through The Cedar Centre and a graduated SEND response.

Who it suits: families who want a local, state funded 11 to 18 option with a clear routine, visible improvement priorities, and a meaningful inclusion pathway for students who need structured support. The key decision point is whether your child will respond well to firm expectations while the school continues to strengthen consistency of classroom challenge and outcomes. Parents shortlisting should use the FindMySchool Comparison Tool to place local GCSE measures side by side, then use Saved Schools to track open events and application tasks across your shortlist.