West Somerset College is a mixed secondary academy in Minehead, Somerset Council, teaching 745 pupils aged 13 to 19. Ofsted graded achievement as Needs attention at its most recent inspection in January 2026. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 41.2 (England 46.1). The 2025–2026 school year runs from 4 September 2025 to 24 July 2026.

Ofsted inspection

The latest published Ofsted judgement for West Somerset College.

Latest inspection
2025 framework Graded by evaluation area
AchievementNeeds attention
Curriculum & teachingNeeds attention
Attendance & behaviourNeeds attention
Personal development & wellbeingExpected standard
InclusionExpected standard
Leadership & governanceNeeds attention
Post-16 provisionNeeds attention
Safeguarding Met
S5 Inspection · Inspected 20 Jan 2026 · Published 23 Mar 2026
Read full Ofsted report ↗

Scale: Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Term dates & holidays 2025–2026

Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for West Somerset College.

West Somerset College term dates calendar 2025–2026
Official term-dates calendar · 2025–2026 · source

Interactive Calendar

September 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
  • 1 Inset Day
  • 2 Inset Day
  • 3 Inset Day
  • 4 Autumn Term Starts (Term 1)
October 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 17 Term 1 Ends
  • 20–31 Autumn Half Term
November 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
  • 3 Autumn Term Continues (Term 2)
December 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 19 Autumn Term Ends
  • 22–31 Christmas Holiday
  • 25 Christmas Day (Bank Holiday)
  • 26 Boxing Day (Bank Holiday)
January 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 1–2 Christmas Holiday
  • 1 New Year's Day (Bank Holiday)
  • 5 Inset Day
  • 6 Spring Term Starts (Term 3)
February 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
  • 13 Term 3 Ends
  • 16–20 Spring Half Term
  • 23 Spring Term Continues (Term 4)
March 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
April 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
  • 3 Spring Term Ends
  • 3 Good Friday (Bank Holiday)
  • 6–17 Easter Holiday
  • 6 Easter Monday (Bank Holiday)
  • 20 Summer Term Starts (Term 5)
May 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 4 Early May Bank Holiday
  • 22 Term 5 Ends
  • 25–29 Summer Half Term
  • 25 Spring Bank Holiday
June 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
  • 1 Summer Term Continues (Term 6)
  • 19 Inset Day
July 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 24 Summer Term Ends
  • 27–31 Summer Holiday
August 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 1–31 Summer Holiday
  • 31 Summer Bank Holiday

Key dates (2025–2026)

  • Inset Day 01 September 2025 Inset Day
  • Inset Day 02 September 2025 Inset Day
  • Inset Day 03 September 2025 Inset Day
  • Autumn Term Starts (Term 1) 04 September 2025 Term
  • Term 1 Ends 17 October 2025 Term
  • Autumn Half Term 20 October 2025 - 31 October 2025 Holiday
  • Autumn Term Continues (Term 2) 03 November 2025 Term
  • Autumn Term Ends 19 December 2025 Term
  • Christmas Holiday 22 December 2025 - 02 January 2026 Holiday
  • Inset Day 05 January 2026 Inset Day
  • Spring Term Starts (Term 3) 06 January 2026 Term
  • Term 3 Ends 13 February 2026 Term
  • Spring Half Term 16 February 2026 - 20 February 2026 Holiday
  • Spring Term Continues (Term 4) 23 February 2026 Term
  • Spring Term Ends 03 April 2026 Term
  • Easter Holiday 06 April 2026 - 17 April 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Term Starts (Term 5) 20 April 2026 Term
  • Term 5 Ends 22 May 2026 Term
  • Summer Half Term 25 May 2026 - 29 May 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Term Continues (Term 6) 01 June 2026 Term
  • Inset Day 19 June 2026 Inset Day
  • Summer Term Ends 24 July 2026 Term
  • Summer Holiday 27 July 2026 - 31 August 2026 Holiday
  • New Year's Day (Bank Holiday) 01 January 2026 Holiday
  • Good Friday (Bank Holiday) 03 April 2026 Holiday
  • Easter Monday (Bank Holiday) 06 April 2026 Holiday
  • Early May Bank Holiday 04 May 2026 Holiday
  • Spring Bank Holiday 25 May 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Bank Holiday 31 August 2026 Holiday
  • Christmas Day (Bank Holiday) 25 December 2025 Holiday
  • Boxing Day (Bank Holiday) 26 December 2025 Holiday

Exam results & performance

DfE performance tables Official results, 2024–2025 GOV.UK ↗
41.2 Attainment 8 England 46.1
32.6% Grade 5+ English & maths England 45.4%
28.37 A level average score England 35
37.6% Persistent absence England 17.8%

The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare West Somerset College with Somerset Council and England.

Key stage 4 (GCSE) 41.2 Attainment 8 score

Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.

This school Somerset Council England

Attainment 8 score · Average across 8 GCSEs, out of 90 41.2
Somerset Council 43.5 England 46.1 -4.9 vs England
Grade 5+ in English & maths · A strong pass 32.6%
Somerset Council 40.3% England 45.4% -12.8 vs England
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils 27.1
Somerset Council 30.5 England 34.9 -7.8 vs England
Disadvantage gap · Attainment 8 points; smaller is better 17.9
Somerset Council 16.5 England 15.5 +2.4 vs England
Disadvantaged pupils in the year group · Context for the scores above 21.4%
Somerset Council 21.4% England 28.2%
Pupils in the year group · Small cohorts swing wildly 215
16 to 18 (A level & sixth form) 28.37 A level average point score

Results for students finishing post-16 study.

This school Somerset Council England

A level average point score · Per entry, 50 = A* 28.37
Somerset Council 33.81 England 35 -6.6 vs England
A level students · Small cohorts swing wildly 53
Attendance 37.6% Persistently absent pupils

Absence across the whole school year.

This school Somerset Council England

Persistently absent pupils · Missed 10%+ of sessions; lower is better 37.6%
Somerset Council 18.4% England 17.8% +19.8 vs England
Overall absence · Lower is better 13.8%
Somerset Council 7.3% England 6.8% +7 vs England
What pupils do after GCSEs 84% In education, apprenticeship or work

Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.

This school Somerset Council England

In education, apprenticeship or work 84%
Somerset Council 92% England 92% -8 vs England
Same, for disadvantaged pupils 75%
Somerset Council 84% England 83% -8 vs England
What students do after 16 to 18 study 71% In education, apprenticeship or work

Destinations the year after finishing post-16 study.

This school Somerset Council England

In education, apprenticeship or work 71%
Somerset Council 81% England 79% -8 vs England
Went to higher education 14%
Somerset Council 24% England 37% -23 vs England
About this data source & caveats

Progress 8 is not published for 2024–2025. This year group missed their key stage 2 tests in 2020, so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Attendance comparisons are pupil-weighted averages we calculate from every school’s published absence figure — the DfE absence file has no local authority or England rows of its own.

We show the headline measures only. Threshold and curriculum-policy figures — grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc entry and points, the per-subject key stage 2 breakdown, academic and applied splits at 16 to 18 — reflect admissions and curriculum choices more than school quality, so they are left to GOV.UK. Progress measures matter most because they compare pupils with others who started at the same level; attainment on its own largely tracks a school’s intake.

Figures are the Department for Education’s official published results for West Somerset College. Results are suppressed where too few pupils were entered. England figures are the average for state-funded schools. “Top x%” is this school’s position among all schools in England with a published figure for that measure — the DfE does not publish league table rankings.

Source: Compare school and college performance, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Location & catchment area

Indicative catchment Other secondary schools

Indicative only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to West Somerset College than to any other secondary school. Real admissions depend on the school’s own policy (straight-line distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and available places) and change each year. Always confirm with the school and local authority admissions team.