Wells Cathedral School
School summary
Founded in 909 and bound to the life of Wells Cathedral, this is one of the country's oldest schools and one of its most musical. As a specialist music school, it carries a strong choral and instrumental tradition alongside a broad academic education, taking pupils from age two through to nineteen. The Independent Schools Inspectorate rated it excellent for both education quality and personal development, and the Christian character of cathedral worship remains woven through daily life. With 733 pupils, including 178 in the sixth form, and the option of boarding, it suits families seeking a serious music and academic environment in a small Somerset city.
Where every mark matters.
Places are limited and demand is high, so exam performance is what sets candidates apart. Passmate turns the months ahead into ten focused minutes a day on the exact topics this school tests.
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Latest results
GCSE grade 9-7
49%
National average 23%
A-level A*-A
33%
National average 28%
A-level A*-B
66%
National average 55%
Inspection reports
- ISI rating
- excellent
- ISI personal development
- excellent
- Last inspected
- 25 April 2023
Teaching & academics
Results sit well above national benchmarks: 49% of GCSE grades reached 9-7 against a national average of 23%, while at A-level 33% of entries earned A*-A and 66% reached A*-B. Music and Music Technology are among the most popular choices at every level, reflecting the school's specialism, sat alongside the sciences, Mathematics, English Literature and Drama. The sixth form offers A-levels and the EPQ, and the high proportion of pupils on SEN support (31.2%) points to attentive individual provision.
Languages
GCSE subjects
Head · Alastair Tighe
Sixth form
- Sixth-form pupils
- 178
A-level subjects
Qualifications offered
Beyond the classroom
Music is the beating heart of school life, supported by an unusually wide range of specialist scholarships and choristerships as well as awards in academics, sport, art, drama and maths. Hockey is the main team sport, and drama features prominently in pupils' subject choices.
Main sports
School life & ethos
- Founded
- 909
- Religious character
- Christian
- Boarding
- Yes
- SEN support
- 31.2%
- EHC plans
- 0.54%
Mobile phone policy
Mobile phones should not be seen or around school site. Years 7-9: all mobile phones must be handed into houses before 8.40am and collected after 3.55pm. Years 10-upper sixth: hidden phone policy during school day - phones off, away in bags and out of sight
Fees & bursaries
- Day fees (per year)
- £11,448 - £30,255
- Boarding fees (per year)
- £30,603 - £49,494
Some means-tested bursaries offered
Schools nearby
Millfield Prep School
Glastonbury, South West
Abbot's Way School
South West
Downside School
Radstock, South West
Millfield School
Street, South West
All Hallows School
Shepton Mallet, South West
The Levels School
South West
Watch Passmate decide how to teach.
Answer as a child would. Left: what they see. Right: what it learns about them.
A school where centuries of cathedral music meet strong modern results. For a musically gifted or academically ambitious child, few places offer this combination.
That’s where Passmate comes in. Tutoring is the most effective thing in a child’s preparation - a well-tutored child can outperform the vast majority of their peers. Passmate works alongside your tutor, not instead of them: it learns how your child thinks, finds the gaps, and shows the tutor exactly where to spend each session - so the limited time you have lands on what actually decides a place.
Works alongside your child’s tutor - not instead of them.
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Wells Cathedral School 11+: frequently asked questions
Compiled from public data. Last checked 5 June 2026.