Preston School Academy
Monks Dale, Yeovil, BA21 3JD
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Doble
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Yeovil
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 975
- Pupils on roll
- 1,003
- URN
- 136894
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01935471131
About this school
Preston School Academy is a secondary academy in Yeovil. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,003 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Preston School Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 178 | 198 | 154 |
| Attainment 8 score | 47.0 | 53.9 | 45.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.22 -0.44 to -0.01 | +0.23 +0.03 to +0.44 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 48% | 56.6% | 40.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 69% | 75.3% | 62.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 4% | 17.2% | 63.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Preston School Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 47 | 36.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 53.9 | 34 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.9 | 32.3 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 959 |
| 2023/24 | 983 |
| 2024/25 | 983 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Preston School Academy compares
Preston School Academy ranked 8th of 28 secondary schools in Somerset for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 61% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45.9 | 7.7% | 20.7% | 1,003 | — |
| Westfield Academy | 44.5 | 7.8% | 21.7% | 1,013 | 0.4 miles |
| Buckler's Mead School | 44.5 | 8% | 31.6% | 812 | 1.6 miles |
| Stanchester Academy | 43.7 | 9.1% | 19.6% | 829 | 3.1 miles |
| The Gryphon School | 46.7 | 7.9% | 20.5% | 1,569 | 6.2 miles |
| Wadham School | 42.3 | 9.7% | 19.2% | 763 | 6.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 20.65%
- English as an additional language
- 18.5%
- Overall absence
- 7.74%
- Persistent absence
- 19.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Westfield Academy0.4 miles
Secondary · Yeovil
-
Buckler's Mead School1.6 miles
Secondary · Yeovil
-
Stanchester Academy3.1 miles
Secondary · Stoke-sub-Hamdon
-
The Gryphon School6.2 miles
Secondary · Sherborne
-
Wadham School6.8 miles
Secondary · Crewkerne
Other schools in Yeovil
- Buckler's Mead School Secondary
- Westfield Academy Secondary
- All Saints Church School Primary
- Barwick and Stoford Community Primary School Primary
- Birchfield Community Primary School Primary
- Chilthorne Domer Church School Primary
- Countess Gytha Primary School Primary
- East Coker Community Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church School Primary
- Huish Primary School Primary
- Ilchester Community School Primary
- Kingfisher Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Preston School Academy teach?
- Preston School Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Yeovil.
- Who is the headteacher of Preston School Academy?
- The headteacher of Preston School Academy is Mr Matthew Doble, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Preston School Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Preston School Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Preston School Academy?
- Preston School Academy has 1,003 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Preston School Academy full?
- Preston School Academy has capacity for 975 pupils and 1,003 on roll (103%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Preston School Academy a faith school?
- No. Preston School Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Preston School Academy a selective school?
- No. Preston School Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Preston School Academy part of an academy trust?
- Preston School Academy is part of MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Preston School Academy have?
- The schools register lists Preston School Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Preston School Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 47 in 2022/23 and 45.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Preston School Academy compare with other schools in Somerset?
- Preston School Academy ranked 8th of 28 secondary schools in Somerset for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 61% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Preston School Academy's absence rate?
- Preston School Academy's overall absence rate is 7.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Preston School Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Preston School Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.