The John of Gaunt School

The John of Gaunt School continues to perform well overall, maintaining its good status since the last inspection in 2014. The school fosters a strong sense of community and inclusiveness, promoting values of kindness, positivity, and respect among pupils. It provides various extracurricular activities and a broad curriculum that aims to prepare students for adult life. While the school's ambition for students to excel is evident, some challenges remain, particularly in helping pupils retain and apply their knowledge effectively over time. There has also been a recent change in leadership, which the school is navigating as part of its ongoing development.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community and values of kindness and respect.
• Clear behavior expectations contribute to a calm learning environment.
• Ambitious curriculum that aims to develop life skills and knowledge.
• Effective reading support enhances pupil confidence and fluency.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities, including arts and sports.
• Strong career guidance and support for future education or employment.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils struggle to recall and link their learning over time.
• Low participation in enrichment activities and additional study support.

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 John of Gaunt School attended 90.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.1% 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, 4.8% of pupils at The John of Gaunt 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 The John of Gaunt School had 15.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.3% 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, 16.6% of pupils at The John of Gaunt School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 27 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 John of Gaunt School received £8,155 and spent £8,140 for each of its 1,256 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,289,000 (£1,026 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Equa Mead Learning Trust, income was £7,956 and spending £7,893 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 Trowbridge · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

The John of Gaunt School is part of Equa Mead Learning Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Studley Green Primary School Trowbridge
• The Grove Primary School Trowbridge
• Bellefield Primary and Nursery School Trowbridge
• Paxcroft Primary School Trowbridge
• Southwick Church of England Primary School Trowbridge
• North Bradley CofE Primary School Trowbridge
• Castle Mead School Trowbridge
• The Mead Community Primary School Trowbridge
• River Mead School Melksham
• Five Lanes Church of England Primary School Devizes

What is The John of Gaunt School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The John of Gaunt School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was The John of Gaunt School last inspected by Ofsted?

The John of Gaunt School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does The John of Gaunt School have?

The John of Gaunt School has 1,295 pupils on roll.

What age range does The John of Gaunt School cover?

The John of Gaunt School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The John of Gaunt School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.9, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The John of Gaunt School?

The John of Gaunt School is at Wingfield Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 9EH.