Ansford Academy
Maggs Lane, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Ansford Academy is a secondary school in Castle Cary for ages 11 to 16. It is one of the 301 schools in Somerset. It ranks 9th of 27 secondary schools in Somerset. Its latest Ofsted outcome is a report card, from an inspection in February 2026.
Ofsted report card
Inspected 24 February 2026, report published 6 May 2026
Each area is graded from urgent improvement to exceptional, and safeguarding is either met or not met.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 24 February 2026
Pupils enjoy attending this school. The environment is calm and joyful. Each day starts with a welcome from key staff, which helps pupils to feel included. This also aims to remove barriers that pupils might be experiencing, by providing a friendly face who knows them well at the outset of the day. Pupils relish the additional responsibilities that they take on. For instance, Year 7 pupils are proud of their work in looking after the much-loved school goats. Pupils of all ages know the tangible impact that the work of the very active school council has on the everyday life of the school. This helps them understand the power of sharing their views. Older pupils embody the school's values, which helps others to understand how to 'live' them. Pupils have supportive and positive relationships with staff and with their peers. Bullying is rare and is dealt with quickly and effectively if it does happen. This contributes to pupils feeling safe in school. Pupils are able to learn in classrooms where disruption is very rare. This means they build the knowledge and skills that they need in order to achieve well. This is shown in increasingly positive national outcomes and in the quality of pupils' written work and verbal responses. Pupils enjoy the many opportunities they have to develop beyond lessons. Many take part in the varied sporting and creative clubs and events that the school offers. The recent production of 'Oliver' is a source of pride for staff and pupils alike, as are the many sporting successes. Leaders make sure that barriers that might prevent pupils from taking part in the wider personal development opportunities on offer are removed. Most pupils attend regularly, and absence from school has decreased. However, a few pupils do not attend well enough.
What the school should improve
- The school and trust should ensure that highly effective teaching is consistently embedded across subjects and year groups so that pupils learn as much as they can.
- The school and trust should continue to improve pupils' attendance so that more pupils can benefit from the extensive personal development offer and achieve more highly.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
102 pupils in the year group
Pupil numbers and mix
469 pupils on roll, with places for 760
Schools near Ansford Academy
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sexey's School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 51.5 |
| King's Bruton | 3 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Attainment 8: 25.1 |
| Hazlegrove Preparatory School | 5 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
| King Arthur's School | 5 miles | Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good | Attainment 8: 40.6 |
| Whitstone | 7 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 40.5 |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- No
- Headteacher
- Mr Karl Musson
- Phone
- 01963350895
- Address
- Maggs Lane, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
- Local authority
- Somerset
- URN
- 136839
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.