St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor

St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor, is a joint-faith comprehensive middle school of about 481 pupils. In its July 2026 full section 5 inspection, safeguarding was met and the school was graded strong standard for attendance and behaviour and for personal development and wellbeing. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance were graded at the expected standard. The school is therefore performing securely overall, with particular strengths in attendance, behaviour and pupils' broader development, while several core areas are meeting rather than exceeding expectations. Pupils are happy, polite, attend well above national averages, and benefit from a well-designed personal development programme, extensive enrichment and strong pastoral care. Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are generally supported to access the curriculum, and leaders, governors and staff are well regarded. However, disadvantaged pupils' outcomes in national tests are below national averages, including in combined reading, writing and mathematics, and the school's disadvantage gap is substantial. Inspectors also identified that teaching does not always check understanding swiftly enough to address misconceptions, and that support for pupils with barriers to learning is not always reviewed and refined promptly. These are the main areas for improvement in an otherwise positive report.

Strengths

• Highly effective attendance systems; pupils' attendance, including for those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, is consistently above national averages.
• Pupils are polite, well-mannered and committed to learning, with calm and focused lessons.
• Strong personal development programme covering PSHE, RSE, finance, healthy lifestyles, equality and diversity.
• Extensive extra-curricular offer, including clubs, competitions and residential trips, with high participation.
• High-quality careers education and opportunities to meet employers and further education providers.
• Support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils enables them to access the same curriculum as peers.
• Leaders, governors and staff work effectively, with strong community relationships and attention to staff workload and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met; pupils feel safe and know where to turn for support.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is below national averages, with a substantial disadvantage gap.
• Teaching does not consistently check pupils' understanding quickly enough, so misconceptions are not always addressed promptly.
• Support for pupils with barriers to learning is not always reviewed consistently and rigorously, so adaptations can be slow to refine.

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 St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 5.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 1.9% of pupils at St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor had 18.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 11.4% of pupils at St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor received £7,175 and spent £7,170 for each of its 482 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £9,000 (£18 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 Windsor · Windsor and Maidenhead local authority: places and applications

What is St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor last inspected by Ofsted?

St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor have?

St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor has 482 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor cover?

St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor for pupils aged 9 to 13.

What are St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor?

St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor is at Parsonage Lane, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 5EN.