The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College

The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College is performing well overall, rated as good with outstanding elements in quality of education and leadership. The school has established a positive and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and are encouraged to excel academically. The curriculum is designed to challenge students while also addressing their personal development and well-being. The sixth form provides strong support for students, balancing academic rigor with opportunities for personal growth and enrichment activities. High expectations for behavior are shared among staff and pupils, fostering a supportive atmosphere for learning.

Strengths

• Outstanding leadership and management
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum
• Strong support for sixth-form students
• Effective behavior management with rare incidents of bullying
• Rich extracurricular opportunities, including sports and arts
• Embedded reading culture with additional support for struggling readers

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils lack self-control and motivation when unsupervised

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 The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.3% 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, 5.0% of pupils at The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.0% 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, 12.9% of pupils at The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 23 pupils.

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 The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College received £7,686 and spent £7,598 for each of its 1,573 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £978,000 (£622 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of The White Horse Federation, income was £7,712 and spending £7,474 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

The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College is part of The White Horse Federation, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• The Croft Primary School Swindon
• Drove Primary School Swindon
• Mountford Manor Primary School Swindon
• Tregoze Primary School Swindon
• Gorse Hill Primary School Swindon
• Nyland School Swindon
• Moredon Primary School Swindon
• Rodbourne Cheney Primary School Swindon
• Grange Junior School Swindon
• Haydon Wick Primary School Swindon

What is The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College last inspected by Ofsted?

The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College have?

The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College has 1,616 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College cover?

The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.0, and 61% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College?

The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College is at Inverary Road, Wroughton, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN4 9DJ.