Royal Wootton Bassett Academy

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy is a large mixed secondary comprehensive with a sixth form, part of the Ascend Learning Trust. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was judged good across the key areas inspected, including sixth-form provision, while its previous inspection grade was outstanding. The school has a strong sense of community, shared values and high expectations; lessons are calm, the curriculum is broad and ambitious, and pupils are well supported to read, learn about personal development and careers, and move on to appropriate next steps. Safeguarding is effective and staff are proud to work at the school. The main areas for improvement concern precision in teaching and quality assurance. Assessment in some classrooms does not identify pupils’ starting points or gaps accurately enough, so teachers cannot always adapt the curriculum to address misconceptions. Similarly, provision for pupils with SEND is not consistently adapted precisely enough, meaning these pupils do not always learn as well as they could. Leaders’ monitoring and self-evaluation are not yet accurate enough to show where plans are working fully, although the trust has begun to support the school in strengthening self-evaluation. Pupils report some bullying, which the school takes seriously, but it recognises that some incidents need further support to be resolved fully.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community and shared values of respect, well-being, balance and aspiration
• High expectations for behaviour with calm, disruption-free lessons
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with clear subject content and structured recall
• Knowledgeable and passionate teachers
• Effective support for the weakest readers to improve fluency and comprehension
• Accurate identification of pupils with SEND and additional support through Big Pod and Little Pod
• Personal development programme covers healthy relationships, cultures, and physical and mental well-being
• Pupils have a strong awareness of fundamental British values
• Pupil voice is strong through the Student Parliament and visible changes such as the girls’ rugby team
• Effective careers education with local business links, careers fairs and guest speakers
• Sixth-form students act as role models and receive strong support for their next steps
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Staff are proud to work at the school and leaders are considerate of workload and well-being
• School and trust engage regularly with parents and carers

Areas for Improvement

• Classroom assessment sometimes does not accurately identify pupils’ starting points or gaps in knowledge
• Teaching is not consistently adapted precisely enough for pupils with SEND
• Monitoring, assurance and self-evaluation systems are not effective enough to show where plans are working
• Some incidents of bullying need further support to be resolved fully

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 Royal Wootton Bassett Academy attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 16.1% 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, 3.0% of pupils at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Royal Wootton Bassett Academy had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.9% 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, 15.5% of pupils at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.0% 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 2024–25 Royal Wootton Bassett Academy received £7,697 and spent £7,712 for each of its 1,688 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £624,000 (£370 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Ascend Learning Trust, income was £8,018 and spending £8,086 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 · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy is part of Ascend Learning Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Noremarsh Junior School Swindon
• Lawn Manor Academy Swindon
• Kingsbury Green Academy Calne
• Wellington Lions Primary Academy Tidworth
• The Wellington Academy Ludgershall
• Wellington Eagles Primary Academy Andover

What is Royal Wootton Bassett Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Royal Wootton Bassett Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Royal Wootton Bassett Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Royal Wootton Bassett Academy have?

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy has 1,714 pupils on roll.

What age range does Royal Wootton Bassett Academy cover?

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Royal Wootton Bassett Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.3, and 53% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Royal Wootton Bassett Academy?

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy is at Lime Kiln, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN4 7HG.