The Sky Academy
Pickeridge Close, Taunton, TA2 7HW
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 5 to 16
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- CABOT LEARNING FEDERATION
- Headteacher
- Mrs Gaby Long
- Sponsor
- Cabot Learning Federation
- Constituency
- Taunton and Wellington
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 120
- Pupils on roll
- 105
- URN
- 150134
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01823275569
About this school
The Sky Academy is a boys' special academy in Taunton. It teaches children aged 5 to 16 and has 105 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
- Inadequate
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Inadequate
- Personal development
- Requires improvement
- Leadership and management
- Inadequate
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Ofsted placed the school in a category of concern: special measures.
This inspection took place when the school was registered as The Sky Academy (URN 148378).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 9 | 6 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 17% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 17% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 17% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | 106.0 |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 20 | 17 |
| Attainment 8 score | 1.1 | 2.4 |
| Progress 8 score | -2.54 -3.21 to -1.87 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.0 | 0.1 |
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 Sky 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 | — | 54.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 17% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 36.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 1.1 | 34 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 2.4 | 32.3 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 33.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 33.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 100 |
| 2024/25 | 100 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 80%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 33.05%
- Persistent absence
- 68.22%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Selworthy Special School0.3 miles
Academies · Taunton
-
Park House School0.6 miles
Special schools · Taunton
-
Taunton School1.0 miles
Independent schools · Taunton
-
Taunton Preparatory School1.0 miles
Independent schools · Taunton
-
King's College Prep1.2 miles
Independent schools · Taunton
Other schools in Taunton
- Cambian Somerset School Special schools
- Park House School Special schools
- Selworthy Special School Academies
- Somerset Progressive School Special schools
- Willow Vale School Local authority maintained schools
- 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
Common questions
- What year groups does The Sky Academy teach?
- The Sky Academy teaches children aged 5 to 16. It is a special school in Taunton.
- Who is the headteacher of The Sky Academy?
- The headteacher of The Sky Academy is Mrs Gaby Long, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Sky Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Sky 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 Sky Academy?
- The Sky Academy has 105 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 16.
- Is The Sky Academy full?
- The Sky Academy has capacity for 120 pupils and 105 on roll (88%), 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 Sky Academy a faith school?
- No. The Sky Academy has no designated religious character.
- Who runs The Sky Academy?
- The Sky Academy is part of CABOT LEARNING FEDERATION. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Sky Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2023/24 and 17% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is The Sky Academy's absence rate?
- The Sky Academy's overall absence rate is 33.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Sky Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Sky 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.