Swindon Academy

Swindon Academy is a large all-through school, from nursery to sixth form, within the United Learning Trust and with a new principal since the previous inspection. Safeguarding standards are met. Early years and leadership and governance are particular strengths: children get a strong start through warm relationships and a language-rich curriculum, and leaders are well supported and challenged by the trust. Personal development and pastoral care are also strong, with an ambitious wider offer, extensive enrichment and a comprehensive careers programme for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. In the secondary phase and sixth form, outcomes are impressive. Year 11 pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve above or well above national averages in most areas, and sixth-form students progress well into higher education, apprenticeships and employment. Attendance is improving, behaviour is generally positive, and pupils learn in a disruption-free environment. Post-16 provision is well matched to local needs and students are excellent role models. However, primary phase published outcomes at key stage 2 have been below national averages for some time, including for disadvantaged pupils, with gaps in reading, writing and mathematical fluency. Writing knowledge gaps persist across phases, and work to improve technical accuracy and composition in secondary and post-16 is at an early stage. Persistent absence remains high for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. A minority of pupils repeatedly do not meet expectations and miss learning, and support for them is not consistently effective. SEND provision is generally well identified, but adaptations are occasionally imprecise and progress review systems need strengthening. Next steps focus on writing and SEND oversight.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children a strong start through warm relationships and a language-rich environment.
• Leaders prioritise early language, communication and reading across the school.
• Phonics teaching is effective and reading is prioritised for pupils of all ages.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with effective trust support and challenge.
• Governors and trustees fulfil their statutory duties and hold leaders to account.
• Staff report high levels of support for workload and wellbeing.
• The professional learning offer is a notable strength for staff development.
• The personal development programme is ambitious and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pastoral care is prioritised, with trusted adults and additional support for pupils.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment, trips, residentials and careers activities.
• Secondary pupils, including disadvantaged and SEND pupils, achieve impressive outcomes at the end of Year 11.
• Sixth-form students progress well and are well-prepared for education, employment or training.
• Attendance is steadily improving and pupils typically attend well.
• Pupils learn in a disruption-free environment and typically behave respectfully.
• Bullying is rare and pupils trust staff to resolve issues.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious from nursery through to Year 13.
• Secondary teaching is particularly effective, with clear explanations and regular checks on understanding.
• Leaders use additional funding appropriately to support disadvantaged pupils' access and experiences.
• Vulnerable pupils, including looked-after children, benefit from effective pastoral support.
• Post-16 provision offers a range of qualifications matched to local needs and students' aspirations.
• The post-16 wider offer is a notable strength, with students acting as role models.

Areas for Improvement

• Key stage 2 published outcomes have been below national averages for some time, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Gaps remain in primary pupils' reading, writing and mathematical fluency.
• Pupils across the school often lack consistent support in addressing gaps in writing knowledge.
• Work to improve technical accuracy and text composition in secondary and post-16 is in the early stages.
• Persistent absence is still high for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• A minority of pupils repeatedly do not meet leaders' high expectations and miss learning.
• Processes to support pupils who repeatedly misbehave are not yet consistently effective.
• Occasionally, curriculum adaptations for pupils with SEND are not precisely matched to their needs.
• Systems to review the academic progress of pupils with SEND need strengthening.
• Post-16 A-level average point score is below national averages.
• Destinations after 16 for 2023 leavers were below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils' key stage 2 performance gaps are large, especially in reading, writing and mathematics.

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 Swindon Academy attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.8% 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, 10.8% of pupils at Swindon Academy 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 Swindon Academy had 19.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.2% 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, 16.8% of pupils at Swindon Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.3% 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 2024–25 Swindon Academy received £8,102 and spent £8,054 for each of its 1,835 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,639,000 (£894 per pupil).

Across all 93 schools of United Learning Trust, income was £8,687 and spending £8,616 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Swindon · Swindon local authority: places and applications

Swindon Academy is part of United Learning Trust, which runs 98 schools. The nearest others:

• Nova Hreod Academy Swindon
• Windale Primary School Oxford
• Orchard Meadow Primary School Oxford
• Pegasus School Oxford
• North Oxfordshire Academy Banbury
• Hill View Primary School Banbury
• Hanwell Fields Community School Banbury
• Gillingham School Gillingham
• Regents Park Community College Southampton
• Campion School Northampton

What is Swindon Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Swindon Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Swindon Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Swindon Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Swindon Academy have?

Swindon Academy has 1,820 pupils on roll.

What age range does Swindon Academy cover?

Swindon Academy for pupils aged 2 to 19.

What are Swindon Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.3, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Swindon Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Swindon Academy?

Swindon Academy is at Beech Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1JR.