Bradon Forest School

Bradon Forest School demonstrates good overall effectiveness, maintaining its positive performance since the last inspection. The school has made significant improvements to its curriculum, which is now more ambitious and supports pupils in achieving well across most subjects. The personal development initiatives are robust, with a wide range of extra-curricular activities that enhance students' educational experience. Nevertheless, the school faces challenges in attendance, particularly among vulnerable students, and more focused strategies are needed to support these pupils to ensure they do not miss valuable learning opportunities.

Strengths

• Strong leadership commitment to social and moral development.
• Good quality education that allows pupils to learn and achieve well.
• Well-planned curriculum with effective teaching strategies.
• Wide range of extra-curricular activities that enhance personal development.
• Safe and calm school environment with caring teachers.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent reading support for pupils who have fallen behind.
• Attendance issues, particularly for disadvantaged and SEND pupils.
• Some pupils express negative attitudes towards global citizenship lessons.

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 Bradon Forest School attended 91.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.5% 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, 6.8% of pupils at Bradon Forest 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 Bradon Forest School had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.7% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Bradon Forest School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.9% 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 Bradon Forest School received £8,581 and spent £8,509 for each of its 941 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £625,000 (£664 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of The Athelstan Trust, income was £7,641 and spending £7,380 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 · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

Bradon Forest School is part of The Athelstan Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Malmesbury School Malmesbury
• Sir William Romney's School Tetbury
• Abbeyfield School Chippenham
• Kings Lodge Primary School Chippenham
• Charter Primary School Chippenham
• Avening Primary School Tetbury
• Leighterton Primary School Tetbury
• Chipping Sodbury School Bristol
• The Dean Academy Lydney

What is Bradon Forest School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bradon Forest School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Bradon Forest School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bradon Forest School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Bradon Forest School have?

Bradon Forest School has 987 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bradon Forest School cover?

Bradon Forest School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Bradon Forest School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.5, and 44% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Bradon Forest School?

Bradon Forest School is at The Peak, Purton, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 4AT.