Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy

Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy is a warm and welcoming primary school that continues to be good across all inspected areas. Pupils feel safe, behave exceptionally well and benefit from high expectations, an effective curriculum, strong reading provision and well-supported SEND. Attendance is improving and personal development is a notable strength, with pupils gaining from trips, clubs, leadership roles and a programme that builds respect and understanding. Safeguarding is effective. The school joined Blue Kite Academy Trust in January 2025, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff are positive about the trust and feel valued. Leaders have a clear ambition for pupils, and the trust has quickly understood the school’s strengths and priorities. Two areas need further work. Assessment in some wider curriculum subjects is not used precisely enough, so some pupils do not build knowledge sequentially and gaps can remain. In addition, some tasks move pupils on to more complex work before foundational skills are secure, which limits how deeply they deepen their knowledge over time. The trust is expected to support the school in addressing both areas.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming school where pupils feel safe and well supported.
• Pupils are exceptionally polite, well mannered and behave calmly and orderly.
• High expectations mean pupils are keen to learn and achieve well.
• The curriculum is effective and helps pupils build knowledge well in many subjects.
• Reading is a priority, with effective phonics and strong support for pupils who fall behind.
• Pupils with SEND are identified and supported effectively through impactful staff training.
• Personal development is strong, including respect, tolerance and understanding of protected characteristics.
• Pupils benefit from trips, clubs and leadership opportunities that build character and resilience.
• Attendance is improving through robust monitoring and positive work with families.
• Staff feel valued and are positive about joining the trust.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment in some wider curriculum subjects is not effective, so pupils do not build knowledge sequentially and gaps remain.
• Some work moves pupils to more complex tasks too soon before foundational skills are secure, limiting depth of knowledge over time.

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 Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.8% 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, 3.4% of pupils at Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy 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 Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy had 24.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.6% 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, 9.0% of pupils at Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.1% 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 2023–24 Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy received £6,305 and spent £6,603 for each of its 214 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £25,000 (£115 per pupil).

Across all 24 schools of The Blue Kite Academy Trust, income was £6,027 and spending £7,133 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

Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy is part of The Blue Kite Academy Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• Brook Field Primary School Swindon
• Lydiard Millicent CofE Primary School Swindon
• Even Swindon Primary School Swindon
• Tadpole Farm CofE Primary Academy Swindon
• Catherine Wayte Primary School Swindon
• Greenmeadow Primary School Swindon
• Ferndale Primary School & Nursery Swindon
• Abbey Meads Community Primary School Swindon
• Robert Le Kyng Primary School Swindon
• William Morris Primary School Swindon

What is Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy have?

Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy has 211 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy cover?

Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy?

Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy is at The Buffer, Purton, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 4GT.