Westfield Academy, Yeovil Review 2026: A community secondary with strong pastoral systems

A calm, orderly day and an explicit focus on wellbeing shape the experience here, as much as exam outcomes do. Official inspection evidence describes a happy, inclusive and caring culture, with respectful relationships and low reported bullying.

This is a mixed secondary for students aged 11 to 16, serving Yeovil and surrounding villages. It operates as a single academy trust, with the headteacher also acting as chief executive officer of the trust, which gives leadership a direct line from strategy to daily practice.

The academic picture is more mixed than the pastoral one. Recent GCSE indicators and progress measures sit below England averages, so families should weigh fit, support and wider opportunities alongside results when shortlisting.

The school’s public narrative is grounded in belonging and recognition of individual strengths, and that comes through in formal inspection evidence. The most recent Ofsted inspection, on 4 and 5 October 2023, concluded that the school continues to be Good and described students as feeling well cared for.

The day is structured tightly. Students are expected on site by 8:25am, with an early “wider curriculum” slot from 8:30am, then five taught periods running through to a 3:10pm finish. That rhythm helps many students, particularly those who benefit from predictable routines.

Leadership is stable. Mr Simon Dallimore is listed as headteacher on the school website and in official school listings. A school newsletter announced his appointment as principal from September 2018, which anchors the current phase of the school’s development in a medium-term leadership tenure rather than short cycles of change.

For GCSE outcomes, the school is ranked 3346th in England and 3rd in Yeovil (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places performance below England average, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure.

At GCSE level, the headline indicators point to challenges with progress. The Progress 8 score is -0.54, which indicates students make less progress, on average, than pupils nationally with similar prior attainment.

Attainment 8 is 39.7. Taken alongside the negative progress measure, this suggests that improving the consistency of outcomes across subjects is likely to remain a core priority for the school.

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view GCSE indicators side by side with other nearby secondaries, keeping context such as intake and curriculum model in mind.

Curriculum ambition is a stated focus in the most recent inspection evidence, including changes intended to increase take-up of a modern foreign language and a fuller English Baccalaureate pathway at key stage 4. That direction matters for families who want a broad curriculum offer and clear sequencing through Years 7 to 11.

Lesson climate is described as calm and purposeful, which is often a practical marker of good routines and staff alignment. In day-to-day terms, students who work best with clear expectations, firm transitions and a well-managed classroom environment may find the approach suits them.

Improvement work is also explicit. Inspection evidence highlights that, in a small number of subjects, curriculum planning was not yet precise enough, with knowledge not always broken down into manageable steps. For families, this is a useful prompt to ask how curriculum quality is monitored across departments, what support exists for students who fall behind, and how intervention is organised in Years 10 and 11.

Where Students Go Next

With an 11 to 16 age range, the key transition is post-16. The school’s careers resources reference both post-14 and post-16 pathways and signpost apprenticeships guidance alongside subject-choice support. That broad framing is helpful for students who want a practical route as well as those targeting A-levels at a sixth form or college.

Yeovil has an established further education option locally, and the school also highlights community links that support sporting and wider participation, which can feed into post-16 confidence and engagement even where academic outcomes are variable.

The school does not publish sixth form outcomes in the available material because it does not operate a sixth form on site, so families should treat post-16 planning as an active part of Year 9 options and Year 11 guidance, not an automatic continuation.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through Somerset’s secondary admissions process. For September 2026 entry, Somerset states that applications open on 15 September 2025 and must be submitted by the national deadline of 31 October 2025.

Somerset’s published guidance also confirms National Offer Day for secondary places as 2 March 2026 for that cohort. The academy’s own admissions page reiterates the 31 October 2025 closing date and sets out a planned admission limit of 210 students for Year 7.

Because the last-distance-offered figure is not available here, families should avoid relying on informal catchment assumptions. Use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check precise home-to-school distance and combine that with Somerset’s published admissions guidance and the school’s oversubscription criteria.

Open events are typically positioned in early autumn. The school’s prospectus page lists a future open day on 1 October 2026, which gives a clear indication of timing in the admissions calendar.

Pastoral systems appear to be a defining strength. Inspection evidence describes warm, respectful relationships and students who feel listened to, alongside a culture where bullying is described as rare.

The school’s extra-curricular structure includes a Wellbeing Lunch Club, and that kind of visible, timetabled provision tends to work best when it is normalised rather than treated as an exception. It is also notable that the school links behaviour expectations to shared values, which can help students understand what “good conduct” looks like beyond simple sanctions.

Safeguarding is addressed explicitly in the latest inspection evidence. The inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective, which is a baseline requirement that families can treat as a non-negotiable.

The school emphasises participation and breadth, and there are a few distinctive features worth calling out because they are specific rather than generic.

One is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, referenced in the school’s overview of opportunities and supported by a dedicated information site link from the extra-curricular page. For many students, DofE is less about a certificate and more about building habits, reliability and social confidence outside the classroom.

A second is the structured study and wellbeing offer around the school day. Breakfast Club runs daily from 8:00am to 8:25am, and Homework Club runs Monday to Thursday from 3:15pm to 4:15pm. For families managing transport, work patterns or students who concentrate better with supported routines, these are practical, repeatable supports rather than occasional enrichment.

Arts opportunities have included high-profile external collaboration. The school documents a sustained songwriting and performance project with Kate Nash, culminating in a performance at the Southbank Centre and related media activity. The value here is not celebrity association, it is authentic creative production with a real audience and deadlines, which can be transformative for students who engage best through performance and project work.

The house system also matters for identity and participation. Students are placed into one of four houses, Aqua, Ignis, Terra and Ventus, with inter-house events supporting involvement beyond exam-focused identity.

The main teaching day runs through to 3:10pm, with students expected by 8:25am. For transport planning, the school differentiates entry points for students arriving via school transport versus other routes, which is worth noting for families using buses.

Wraparound care is not presented as a full childcare-style service, but there is a daily Breakfast Club and a regular Homework Club after school on most weekdays. Families who need later supervision should confirm what supervision is available beyond those sessions.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Some costs are still typical, such as uniform, optional trips and some enrichment activities, so it is sensible to ask for an up-to-date cost overview when budgeting.

• Academic progress is a key watchpoint. A Progress 8 score of -0.54 indicates below-average progress from starting points. Families should ask what targeted intervention looks like in Years 10 and 11, and how the school supports students who fall behind in core subjects.

• Entry detail needs checking for your address. Without a published last-distance figure here, it is important to confirm how oversubscription criteria would apply to your home and whether transport patterns are workable.

• Curriculum consistency varies by subject. External review evidence highlights that some subject curriculum plans were not precise enough at the time of inspection, so it is worth asking how curriculum planning and assessment are quality-assured across departments.

• Students benefit from structure. The day is tightly timetabled, including early start expectations. That suits many learners, but students who find transitions difficult may need additional support to settle into routines.

Westfield Academy, Yeovil is defined by its pastoral intent and day-to-day organisation, with formal inspection evidence supporting a positive picture of care, relationships and wellbeing. Academic outcomes are more uneven, so the fit question is central. This school suits families who want a structured, supportive 11 to 16 setting and who will engage actively with progress and intervention conversations, particularly for students who benefit from clear routines and visible pastoral systems.