The King Alfred School an Academy
Burnham Road, Highbridge, TA9 3EE
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE PRIORY LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Dan Milford
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- The Priory Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Bridgwater
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,375
- Pupils on roll
- 1,269
- URN
- 146439
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01278784881
About this school
The King Alfred School an Academy is a secondary academy in Highbridge. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,269 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
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
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 235 | 237 | 228 |
| Attainment 8 score | 40.1 | 38.7 | 40.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.44 -0.62 to -0.25 | -0.53 -0.71 to -0.34 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 30% | 27.4% | 33.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 50% | 48.9% | 53.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 25% | 19.8% | 7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
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 The King Alfred School an 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 | 40.1 | 36.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 38.7 | 34 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 40.5 | 32.3 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 11% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,354 |
| 2023/24 | 1,336 |
| 2024/25 | 1,294 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The King Alfred School an Academy compares
The King Alfred School an Academy ranked 27th of 28 secondary schools in Somerset for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 40% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 40.5 | 11% | 31.1% | 1,269 | — |
| Chilton Trinity School | 42 | 9.5% | 29% | 990 | 6.1 miles |
| Brymore Academy | 44 | 10% | 14.2% | 327 | 6.8 miles |
| Broadoak Academy | 38.7 | 10.5% | 40.1% | 792 | 7.0 miles |
| Haygrove School | 48.8 | 10.3% | 22.1% | 1,051 | 7.4 miles |
| Robert Blake School | 42.9 | 10.1% | 34.4% | 1,014 | 7.4 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)
- 31.1%
- English as an additional language
- 5.8%
- Overall absence
- 10.96%
- Persistent absence
- 29.61%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Chilton Trinity School6.1 miles
Secondary · Bridgwater
-
Brymore Academy6.8 miles
Secondary · Bridgwater
-
Broadoak Academy7.0 miles
Secondary · Weston-Super-Mare
-
Haygrove School7.4 miles
Secondary · Bridgwater
-
Robert Blake School7.4 miles
Secondary · Bridgwater
Other schools in Highbridge
- Brent Knoll Church of England Primary School Primary
- Churchfield Church School Primary
- East Brent Church of England First School Primary
- East Huntspill Primary Academy Primary
- Mark First and Pre-School CE Academy Primary
- West Huntspill Primary Academy Primary
- Sedgemoor Manor School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does The King Alfred School an Academy teach?
- The King Alfred School an Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Highbridge.
- Who is the headteacher of The King Alfred School an Academy?
- The headteacher of The King Alfred School an Academy is Mr Dan Milford, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The King Alfred School an Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The King Alfred School an 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 The King Alfred School an Academy?
- The King Alfred School an Academy has 1,269 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The King Alfred School an Academy full?
- The King Alfred School an Academy has capacity for 1,375 pupils and 1,269 on roll (92%), so it has space against 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 The King Alfred School an Academy a faith school?
- No. The King Alfred School an Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is The King Alfred School an Academy a selective school?
- No. The King Alfred School an Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs The King Alfred School an Academy?
- The King Alfred School an Academy is part of THE PRIORY LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The King Alfred School an Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 40.1 in 2022/23 and 40.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The King Alfred School an Academy rank locally?
- The King Alfred School an Academy ranked 27th of 28 secondary schools in Somerset for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 40% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The King Alfred School an Academy's absence rate?
- The King Alfred School an Academy's overall absence rate is 11% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The King Alfred School an Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The King Alfred School an 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 10 July 2026.