North Town Academy
Staplegrove Road, Taunton, TA1 1DF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- RICHARD HUISH TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Mark Braund
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Richard Huish College
- Constituency
- Taunton and Wellington
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 417
- Pupils on roll
- 470
- URN
- 137126
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01823284676
About this school
North Town Academy is a primary academy in Taunton. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 470 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 64 | 60 | 64 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 61% | 57% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 3% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 78% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 70% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 63% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How North Town 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 | 61% | 54.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 487 |
| 2023/24 | 482 |
| 2024/25 | 486 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How North Town Academy compares
North Town Academy ranked 90th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 3.8% | 11.5% | 470 | — |
| St Andrew's Church School | 47% | 4.4% | 15.7% | 223 | 0.4 miles |
| Parkfield Primary School | 66% | 4.7% | 11.5% | 436 | 0.6 miles |
| St George's Catholic School | 63% | 4.6% | 9.9% | 219 | 0.6 miles |
| St James Church School | 49% | 6.2% | 30.4% | 479 | 0.6 miles |
| Priorswood Primary School | 44% | 5.3% | 35.3% | 211 | 0.7 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)
- 11.47%
- English as an additional language
- 26.7%
- Overall absence
- 3.84%
- Persistent absence
- 6.25%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Andrew's Church School0.4 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
Parkfield Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
St George's Catholic School0.6 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
St James Church School0.6 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
Priorswood Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Taunton
Other schools in Taunton
North Town Academy ranks 20th of the 36 ranked primary schools in Taunton.
- Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School, Taunton Primary
- Bishops Hull Primary School Primary
- Bishops Lydeard Church School Primary
- Blackbrook Primary School Primary
- Cheddon Fitzpaine Church School Primary
- Churchstanton Primary School Primary
- Cotford St Luke Primary School Primary
- Creech St Michael Church of England Primary School Primary
- Crowcombe CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Curry Mallet Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hatch Beauchamp Church of England Primary School Primary
- Holway Park Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does North Town Academy teach?
- North Town Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Taunton.
- Who is the headteacher of North Town Academy?
- The headteacher of North Town Academy is Mr Mark Braund, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was North Town Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected North Town 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 big is North Town Academy?
- North Town Academy has 470 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is North Town Academy full?
- North Town Academy has capacity for 417 pupils and 470 on roll (113%), 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 North Town Academy a faith school?
- No. North Town Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does North Town Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records North Town Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs North Town Academy?
- North Town Academy is part of RICHARD HUISH TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have North Town Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 61% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does North Town Academy rank locally?
- North Town Academy ranked 90th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is North Town Academy's absence rate?
- North Town Academy's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are North Town Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, North Town 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.