Drove Primary School

Drove Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a rating of 'good' in its first inspection since opening as an academy. The school fosters a supportive and inclusive environment where pupils feel valued and safe, and displays strong community bonds. With a clear and well-structured curriculum, particularly in early reading, pupils are encouraged to learn and develop their knowledge effectively. However, some inconsistencies in curriculum delivery have been noted, potentially impacting overall pupil outcomes.

Strengths

• The school has a strong sense of community and inclusivity.
• Pupils develop excellent relationships with staff and each other.
• The curriculum is well planned, especially in early reading and personal development.
• High priority is given to meeting the needs of pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language.
• Personal development and character education are exceptional.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff lack the necessary expertise and training to deliver the curriculum effectively.
• Inconsistencies in how the curriculum supports building on prior knowledge.

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 Drove Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.4% of pupils at Drove Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Drove Primary School had 25.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 6.7% of pupils at Drove Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Drove Primary School received £5,891 and spent £5,701 for each of its 671 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £417,000 (£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

Drove Primary School is part of The White Horse Federation, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Mountford Manor Primary School Swindon
• Gorse Hill Primary School Swindon
• The Croft Primary School Swindon
• Nyland School Swindon
• Grange Junior School Swindon
• Grange Infants' School Swindon
• Rodbourne Cheney Primary School Swindon
• St Luke's Academy Swindon
• Moredon Primary School Swindon
• The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College Swindon

What is Drove Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Drove Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Drove Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Drove Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Drove Primary School have?

Drove Primary School has 706 pupils on roll.

What age range does Drove Primary School cover?

Drove Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Drove Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Drove Primary School?

Drove Primary School is at Drove Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 3AH.