Minerva Primary School
General Information
- Address: Outer Circle, Somerset, Taunton, TA1 2BU – View on map
- Phone: 01823337051
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mr Gareth Nation
- Age range: 2-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 14 families put it first for 14 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2024 5 · 2025 8 · 2026 10
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Does not apply
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 64
- % eligible for free school meals: 53.3%
- Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the Somerset average)
- English as an additional language: 17% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 41.2% a year (Somerset 17.3%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 71% moved to another school, 29% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (one year, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Somerset: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 2 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
- Suspensions for bullying: 5 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in Somerset, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 7.4%
- Persistently absent pupils: 21.6%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 24.3%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 10.0%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Speech, language and communications needs: 15 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 4 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
- Other difficulty or disability: 2 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 5 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
- Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Requires improvement 2022 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 67% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 8 percentage points above the Somerset average (59%)
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 72% · Writing 72% · Maths 67% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 56%
- Average test scores: reading 102, maths 101
- Based on: 18 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
Year 6 SATs: joint 45th of 149 junior and primary schools in the area
- =45Kingsbury Episcopi Primary School67%
- =45Long Sutton CofE Primary School67%
- =45Minerva Primary School67%
- =45The Redstart Primary School67%
- =54Parkfield Primary School66%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
144th of 152 primary schools in Somerset for Ofsted rating
- #142Kilmersdon Church SchoolRequires improvement
- #143King Ina Church of England AcademyRequires improvement
- #144Minerva Primary SchoolRequires improvement
- #145Norton Sub Hamdon Church SchoolRequires improvement
- #146St Aldhelms Church SchoolRequires improvement
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £8,761 (2024-25)
44th of 185 primary schools in Somerset for spending per pupil
- #42Rode Methodist VC First School£8,853
- #43Berkley Church of England First School£8,812
- #44Minerva Primary School£8,761
- #45Meare Village Primary School£8,683
- #46West Huntspill Primary Academy£8,657
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)