Wells Cathedral School

Independent school · All-through, ages 2 to 19 · Mixed · Christian · Nursery class · Sixth form · Boarding

15 The Liberty, Wells, BA5 2ST

01749 834200 · School website · Map and directions

Inspected byISIIndependent Schools Inspectorate
A level exams graded A* or A33%England 26% · 2024/25
Pupils670Room for 800 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 762 in 2019, 712 in 2021, 764 in 2022, 777 in 2023, 780 in 2024, 734 in 2025. Across England, secondary state school pupil numbers were up 10% from 2019 to 2025.

Ofsted inspection

This independent school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted. ISI doesn't publish its judgements as open data, so we can't show them here. You can read its reports on the ISI website.

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Results

We show A level results only. DfE's GCSE figures leave out the IGCSEs many independent schools use, so they can look far lower than pupils' real results. The IB Diploma and Pre-U aren't included in the A level figures either. DfE doesn't publish where independent school students go after sixth form.

A levels (16 to 18), 2024/25

88 A level students in this year group.

MeasureThis schoolSomersetEngland
Average A level grade B- C+ B-
A level exams graded A* or A 33% 27% 26%
A level exams graded A* to B 67% 54% 53%
Average points per A level entryAn A* is 60 points, an A is 50, a B is 40, and so on down to 10 for an E. 38.1 33.8 35
Average points per A level entry, over time
30 35 40 45 England 2022/23: 34.2England 2023/24: 34.4England 2024/25: 35 This school 2022/23: 41.4This school 2023/24: 38.5This school 2024/25: 38.1 This school England 35 2022/23 41.4 2023/24 38.5 2024/25 38.1

A level subjects, 2024/25

26 subjects, 257 exams. England figures are for state-funded schools and colleges.

SubjectExamsA*A* or AEngland A* or A
Music 43 14% 58% 29%
Mathematics 30 17% 47% 40%
Music Technology 20 5% 45% 15%
Psychology 16 6% 6% 19%
Biology 13 0% 23% 27%
Business Studies:Single 12 0% 0% 16%
Economics 11 0% 0% 26%
Physical Education / Sports Studies 11 9% 18% 17%
English Literature 10 10% 30% 23%
Physics 10 0% 30% 31%
Chemistry 9 22% 44% 30%
History of Art 8 0% 13% 27%
Mathematics (Further) 8 0% 13% 59%
Religious Studies 8 13% 25% 22%
Geology 7 14% 43% 25%
Drama and Theatre Studies 6 0% 50% 19%
Spanish 6 0% 0% 34%

Also taken, with too few exams for DfE to publish grades: Art and Design (Fine Art), Art and Design (Photography), French, History, Chinese, Classical Civilisation, Computer Studies / Computing, German, Russian.

Source: DfE 16 to 18 qualification and subject data, 2024/25.

Source: DfE 16 to 18 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Independent schools run their own admissions and set their own fees. Contact the school directly.

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolSomersetEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 0.0% 22.8%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan 0.5% 3.2%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support 31.2% 15.3%* 13.4%
English as an additional language Not published 9.2%* 19.2%

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

How did Wells Cathedral School do in its A levels?

In 2024/25, 33% of A level exams were graded A* or A, 7 points above the England average of 26%.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.