Cirencester Kingshill School

Cirencester Kingshill School is a single academy trust that has undergone a period of rapid improvement since its previous inspection, when it was judged to require improvement. Inspectors found the school now performing well across the key areas of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership and management. Pupils benefit from raised expectations, a calm and safe environment, and a broad curriculum that is becoming more ambitious, including growing numbers taking the English Baccalaureate. Strengths include effective reading support, accurate identification of pupils with SEND, improved attendance, and a rich personal development programme. Pupils speak positively about leadership opportunities, enrichment, and the school’s ‘STEPS’ values. Governance and leadership have secured noticeable improvements, and parents appreciate the changes. The main concerns are that the planned curriculum is not always implemented consistently, including the school’s ‘Active Minds’ teaching approach and some SEND adaptation strategies. Recent improvements are still being embedded, and leaders need to ensure ongoing plans are implemented and reviewed so that actions have the intended impact.

Strengths

• Curriculum has been revised to be broad and more ambitious, with increasing EBacc uptake
• Reading is prioritised, with a curated collection, refurbished library and well-trained interventions
• Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and known well as individuals
• Attendance has improved significantly through close tracking and targeted pastoral support
• Pupils are well prepared for adult life through ‘Respect’ lessons, careers guidance and workshops
• Behaviour expectations are clear and pupils appreciate the calm, safe learning environment
• Pupils value leadership roles, enrichment opportunities and the school’s ‘STEPS’ characteristics
• Leadership and governance have driven improvements that parents appreciate
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• The planned curriculum is not always implemented as intended across all areas
• The ‘Active Minds’ teaching and learning strategies are not consistently used as effectively as they could be
• SEND adaptation strategies are not always applied effectively, hindering some pupils’ learning
• Recent changes still need further embedding to have their full positive impact
• Ongoing improvement plans need to be implemented and reviewed to assure leaders and governors of impact

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 Cirencester Kingshill School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.0% 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, 4.3% of pupils at Cirencester Kingshill School 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 Cirencester Kingshill School had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.0% 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, 18.7% of pupils at Cirencester Kingshill School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.3% 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 Cirencester Kingshill School received £8,902 and spent £9,164 for each of its 807 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,612,000 (£1,998 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 Cirencester · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Cirencester Kingshill School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cirencester Kingshill School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Cirencester Kingshill School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cirencester Kingshill School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Cirencester Kingshill School have?

Cirencester Kingshill School has 806 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cirencester Kingshill School cover?

Cirencester Kingshill School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Cirencester Kingshill School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.4, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Cirencester Kingshill School?

Cirencester Kingshill School is at Kingshill Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1HS.