The Sweyne Park School

The Sweyne Park School is an aspirational and inclusive secondary school where pupils enjoy learning and feel safe and well supported. Since the previous inspection, leaders have raised expectations, and inspectors found improvements in behaviour, a purposeful atmosphere and a broad, ambitious curriculum. The school is part of Rayleigh Schools Trust and includes a specially resourced provision for deaf pupils. Most pupils now achieve well because of recent curriculum improvements, although published examination results do not yet reflect this impact. Provision for pupils with SEND is effective, a reading culture is developing, and pupils benefit from extensive enrichment opportunities. Sixth-form students have a positive experience, access a wide range of courses and receive high-quality careers guidance. Attendance is improving, safeguarding is effective, and governors and trustees know the school well. The main areas for improvement are assessment and adaptation. Assessment is not used consistently enough to identify gaps or misconceptions, so some pupils are not always clear on how to improve. Some teachers also do not adapt the curriculum consistently, meaning some pupils do not secure important knowledge and do not achieve as well as they could.

Strengths

• Aspirational and inclusive ethos where pupils enjoy learning and feel safe
• Behaviour has improved, with consistent 'ready, respectful, safe' expectations
• Broad, ambitious curriculum is well planned and structured in most subjects
• Strong provision for pupils with SEND, including a specially resourced provision for deaf pupils
• Developing reading culture with targeted support for early readers
• Extensive enrichment opportunities open to all pupils
• Effective sixth-form provision with a wide range of courses and high-quality careers guidance
• Relentless focus on improving attendance
• Well-planned personal development and careers programme
• Knowledgeable governors and trustees provide support and challenge
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Positive relationships between leaders and staff, with consideration of workload

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is used inconsistently, so gaps and misconceptions are not always identified
• Some teachers do not adapt the curriculum consistently to help all pupils access new learning
• Published examination results do not yet reflect recent curriculum improvements
• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could because of inconsistent assessment and adaptation

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 Sweyne Park School attended 92.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.4% 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, 3.7% of pupils at The Sweyne Park 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 Sweyne Park School had 15.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.0% 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, 14.4% of pupils at The Sweyne Park School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 1 pupil.

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 Sweyne Park School received £7,850 and spent £7,992 for each of its 1,427 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £690,000 (£484 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Rayleigh Schools Trust, income was £7,706 and spending £7,771 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 Rayleigh · Essex local authority: places and applications

The Sweyne Park School is part of Rayleigh Schools Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Glebe Primary School Rayleigh

What is The Sweyne Park School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was The Sweyne Park School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Sweyne Park School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does The Sweyne Park School have?

The Sweyne Park School has 1,429 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Sweyne Park School cover?

The Sweyne Park School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are The Sweyne Park School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.3, and 36% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Sweyne Park School?

The Sweyne Park School is at Sir Walter Raleigh Drive, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 9BZ.