Education, Skills & Learning

This section of the site provides information on Education, Skills and Learning in Somerset. 

Key facts for Somerset:-

• Somerset has 268 state-funded schools, including academies, special schools, free schools and pupil referral units (January 2020 school census).
• 71,190 pupils are in state-funded education and 8,124 in independent schools (January 2020).
• There are four further Education (FE) colleges and no universities.
• In 2019, the proportion of five-year olds achieving a good level of development (GLD) at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) was 71.4%, in line with the England average (71.8%).
• 61% of Key Stage 2 pupils achieved the Expected Standard in Reading, Writing and Mathematics in 2019, compared to a national average of 65%.
• 62% of Key Stage 4 students achieved GCSE standard passes (grade 9-4) in English and Mathematics in 2019, compared to a national average of 65% (for state-funded schools).
• The January 2020 School Census identified 10,461 pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) attending state-funded schools, representing 14.7% of all pupils. 
• As at March 2020, 83% of state-funded schools were judged to be good or outstanding by Ofsted, slightly below the national average (of 86%). 
• The proportion of Somerset pupils going into Higher Education (HE) is consistently below the national average (39% of state-funded mainstream pupils in 2017/18, compared to 49% nationally). (DfE)
• More than one in four (25.6%) of Somerset residents aged 16 or over have a Level 4 (degree or equivalent) qualification. This is below the England and Wales average of 27.2% (2011 Census)

Pages in this Section

• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
• Free School Meals
• School Attendance and Exclusions
• Social Mobility
• EET and NEET
• Children and Learners Needs Analysis 2013