Swallowfield Primary

Swallowfield Primary is performing well overall. Inspectors found strong provision across education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years, with personal development standing out as a particular strength. Pupils are proud of their welcoming, inclusive school, behave calmly and respectfully, and benefit from warm relationships and high expectations that begin in Nursery and Reception. Reading is taught well, pupils who fall behind receive targeted support, and pupils with SEND are identified promptly and supported effectively. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school offers a broad and typically ambitious curriculum, and leaders have managed the recent transition from a lower school to a primary school diligently, including the addition of Years 5 and 6. Pupils value the wide range of wider opportunities, including residential trips, clubs, community projects and international links. Attendance is a high priority, and governors provide suitable challenge and support. There are some areas for improvement. The teaching of writing is not yet consistent enough in spelling, handwriting and grammar, which limits how well some pupils express their ideas. In a few foundation subjects, teachers do not check carefully enough what pupils know or provide enough guidance on how to improve, so some teaching is not adjusted well enough to help all pupils acquire the knowledge they need.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for
• Calm and respectful behaviour, with clear and consistently applied expectations
• High expectations for achievement from the early years onwards
• Strong phonics teaching that helps pupils read with confidence
• Targeted support helps pupils who fall behind in reading, including older pupils and pupils with SEND
• Effective and prompt identification of SEND, with careful planning and regular review
• Broad and typically ambitious curriculum with knowledge that builds over time
• Rich wider opportunities that promote personal development exceptionally well
• High priority on attendance, with careful analysis and support for families
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Leaders have managed the transition from lower school to primary school diligently
• Governors provide suitable challenge and support, and staff feel well supported

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching of writing is inconsistent in spelling, handwriting and grammar, limiting some pupils' written expression
• In some foundation subjects, teachers do not check carefully enough what pupils know or the quality of their work
• Some teaching is not adapted effectively enough to help pupils acquire the knowledge they need
• Some pupils do not understand how to improve the quality of their work

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Swallowfield Primary attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Swallowfield Primary were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Swallowfield Primary had 23.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 8.1% of pupils at Swallowfield Primary were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Swallowfield Primary received £6,106 and spent £6,056 for each of its 434 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £303,000 (£700 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Milton Keynes · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Swallowfield Primary's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Swallowfield Primary is Good, from an inspection in October 2025.

When was Swallowfield Primary last inspected by Ofsted?

Swallowfield Primary was last inspected in October 2025.

How many pupils does Swallowfield Primary have?

Swallowfield Primary has 458 pupils on roll.

What age range does Swallowfield Primary cover?

Swallowfield Primary for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Swallowfield Primary's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Swallowfield Primary?

Swallowfield Primary is at Weathercock Close, Woburn Sands, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, MK17 8SR.