Taunton School Staplegrove Road, Taunton, TA2 6AD, Somerset +44 (0)1823 703703

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School type	Co-educational Day & Boarding Prep & Senior, Nursery & Sixth Form
Founded	1847
Headmaster, Taunton School	Mr. James Johnson
Date Appointed	September 2022
Number of pupils	1,182
Prep:	£3,170 - £9,750 per term
Senior	£7,310 - £13,740 per term
International:	£7,600 - £15,875 per term
Average Class Size	10
Teacher/Pupil ratio	1:7
Associations	BSA, HMC, IBSCA, ISC

Introduction

Taunton School is one of the South West's leading co-educational independent schools. Founded in 1847 on a 56-acre site, Taunton caters for day students and boarders aged 0-18 years. It is a thriving community of five separate schools: a Senior School, a Preparatory School, a Pre-Preparatory, a Nursery and a pioneering International School. With a wealth of opportunities, Taunton School nurtures the individual, finding the exceptional in every child and creating a mindset for life.

Academic Excellence

Taunton School is non-selective but achieves consistently excellent GCSE results and some of the best A-level and International Baccalaureate results in South West England. Some 96 per cent of Sixth Formers go on to university and these include Oxford, Cambridge and other Russell Group destinations.

Taunton has been an IB World School since 2007 and is one of the only schools in the country to offer four alternative Sixth Form pathways to higher education: the IB Diploma, A levels, Level 3 BTEC Diplomas in Business, Sport and Exercise, and in IT as well as bespoke Pre-Foundation and Foundation courses in Business designed for international students.

Outstanding Facilities

Taunton School is within walking distance of the town centre, the perfect combination of town and country. With the support of a tight-knit school community students are free to be themselves while growing into independent learners. An ongoing £20 million development plan will ensure Taunton School continues to provide facilities which meet the needs of the 21st century student, enabling them to explore talents and develop their passions.

A new Sixth Form centre and Library have already been built, along with a £4 million dining hall where all members of Taunton's global community can come together to dine with food cooked by our own chefs.

A pedestrianised eco-friendly outdoor hub - dubbed the 'Green Heart' of the school - was opened in January 2023, linking boarding houses, teaching blocks and the new dining hall with a centralised zone where students can relax and socialise. The next stage of the school's vision plans for the construction of two new Astroturf surfaces and a superb new International School.

A Global Community

Taunton School is home to students from more than 50 different countries. It was the first school in the UK to open an international school on site in 1996, but its tradition of welcoming students from abroad dates back more than 100 years. Taunton is proud of its strong global links and its inclusive community.

Taunton's support of international students is exceptional. Staff believe that intensive support and wraparound pastoral care are the key to a student flourishing in the UK. Tailored help is provided for those students who need to improve their English skills as well as settling in to life in a UK boarding school.

Excellent Boarding

Supporting students and their parents is central to everything boarding staff deliver at Taunton School. Rooted in kindness and compassion, Taunton's outstanding pastoral care system creates a positive sense of connection and community. Parents report that the school goes 'above and beyond' what is expected.

The school has eight boarding houses, home to more than 450 students aged seven to 18. At Preparatory level the facilities have recently undergone a £350,000 refurbishment.

A Seamless Culture

Each school within the Taunton School family prepares a child for the next step of their educational journey.

Whether a student joins the Nursery, Pre-Prep, Prep, Senior or the international schools, families will discover a seamless culture running through the entire school - one which, academically, seeks to inspire and support students while challenging them to find their lifelong interests in a global, caring community.

Students do not have to be the best at sport or the best at art or indeed any academic subject - although scholarships are available for those who do excel in those areas.

Breadth of Opportunity

Every single student represents the school at sport during their time at Taunton. More than 60 different clubs field more than 270 teams across the school.

The school's performing arts department has similar breadth offering an extensive ensemble and music performance programme, with theatre and dance productions to suit all levels of experience and expertise.

The Horizons Programme contains over 150 different co-curricular opportunities, encouraging students to engage in and take ownership of their own educational experience, extending and enriching their learning whilst discovering and developing their interests outside of the classroom.

A range of bursaries, assisted places and scholarships are offered to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from what Taunton School has to offer.

Military Families

Military families have been part of Taunton School for many years and contribute greatly to its diverse community. Students enjoy the stability and consistency of undisrupted education in a home-from-home boarding environment - on a full, weekly or flexible basis. Significant financial support is provided for military families in receipt of CEA.