Ages 
This school is a phoenix rising from some pretty unpromising ashes. The process of bringing it back from the moribund, if not dead, started long before the dramatic new build of 2010, and now it has the setting to reflect its considerable aspirations. The school aims to make these attainable for everyone. ‘The whole place makes me feel as though I wanted to go back to school’, said one father, a little wistfully
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Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 1,000 ·
- Sixth form numbers
- 170 ·
- Religion
- None
Headteacher
Headteacher
Mr Keith Howard
Since Spring 2021, Keith Howard. Has worked in schools within the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership for 16 years, spending 11 years at Somervale School, one of the founding partners, where he led on pastoral care and curriculum. For the last five
Entrance
An open day in September and subsequent open mornings helps decision-making, thence applications are made through the local authority, BANES. Year 7 intake is around 175 from several local primary schools and other years are already oversubscribed.
Entry and exit data - year 7 entry (average 2020-2022)
Exit
Post-GCSE, some leave for college and a few to apprenticeships or work. Some 70 per cent of sixth formers go to university, and most of those to their first choice, including Sheffield, Birmingham, Exeter, Bath, Bristol, and Nottingham. Subjects
% students progressing to higher education or training (2021 leavers)
What is this?
The proportion of 16-18 students that progressed to degrees, higher apprenticeships or other study at level 4 or above for at least 6 consecutive months in the 2 years after taking advanced level qualifications (level 3) at this school or college.
Latest results
In 2024, 75 per cent 9-4 in English at GCSE (71 per cent grade 9-4 in maths).
% of pupils achieving grade 5 or above (A* to C) in English and maths GCSE (2024)
What is this?
This tells you the percentage of pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs.
Average points score (2024)
What is this?
These figures tell you the average grade and average points that pupils achieved in their academic qualifications. A maximum of 60 points are available for a grade A* at A level.
Teaching & learning
Results impressive for a completely non-selective school in a socially mixed, if not ethnically diverse area. Academic superstars can sparkle here.
This was the first school which has handed us an academic paper as a going-home present. A few
- Qualifications taken in 2024
- A level
- BTEC
- EPQ
- GCSE
- VRQ
Learning support & SEN
SEN, and in fact any intervention for all abilities, has been brought right into the centre of the school: small groups brought out of class into the atrium to work on literacy and numeracy under the watchful eye of a staff member. We wondered if it
Arts & extracurricular
Musical life abounds, with all year 7s offered free instrument tuition for their first term. A Musical Association has been in existence for 20 years; its primary aim to raise funds to support the school’s many musicians with instruments, transport
Sport
School is fortunate to have a community sports centre on site; with its sports hall, gym and squash courts, although it lacks a pool. Rugby pitches, an Astroturf (used by the FA), indoor nets and an outdoor pitch for cricketers. A tennis centre run
Ethos & heritage
Fifteen years ago, ‘Writhlington was a dump, and no child of mine will ever go there,’ declared one mother, recalling with a shudder its depressing concrete buildings, windswept site and low aspirations. Historically, it had served the mining
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
Appears to be a school where concerns are acted upon, and where students have places to go when things go wrong. ‘The support and guidance staff sort you out and cheer you up,’ was the consensus from the group we spoke to. Parents generally approve
Pupils & parents
Very mixed, as befits a truly comprehensive school. Catchment is economically varied (though a lower proportion of free schools meals than the national average) with dreary Norton Radstock at its heart, yet prosperous little villages and madly arty
The last word
This school is a phoenix rising from some pretty unpromising ashes. The process of bringing it back from the moribund, if not dead, started long before the dramatic new build of 2010, and now it has the setting to reflect its considerable
Inspection reports
Ofsted reports
Full inspection: Good
You can read full reports on the Ofsted website
| Personal development | Good |
|---|---|
| Quality of education | Good |
| Behaviour and attitudes | Good |
| Leadership and management | Good |
| Sixth form provision | Good |
Full inspection: Requires improvement
| Leadership and management | Requires improvement |
|---|---|
| Sixth form provision | Good |
