Liden Academy

Liden Academy is a good school that has shown strong performance in all areas including the quality of education, behavior, personal development, and leadership. This is the school's first inspection since joining the Excalibur Academy Trust in 2021, and it demonstrates a calm environment where pupils feel safe and supported. The school has high expectations for its students, fostering a culture of determination and perseverance which contributes positively to their academic and personal growth.

Strengths

• Pupils are friendly and welcoming.
• High expectations from staff contribute to a positive learning environment.
• Strong focus on early reading helping children become confident, fluent readers.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Rich curriculum with engaging activities that build knowledge.
• Pupils develop personal and social skills effectively.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, curriculum planning does not effectively build on prior learning.
• Assessment practices need to improve to identify gaps in pupils' understanding.

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 Liden Academy attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.1% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Liden 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 Liden Academy had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% 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, 13.4% of pupils at Liden Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Liden Academy received £7,048 and spent £7,405 for each of its 372 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £188,000 (£506 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of Excalibur Academies Trust, income was £7,945 and spending £8,027 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

Liden Academy is part of Excalibur Academies Trust, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• Nythe Primary School Swindon
• Ogbourne CofE Primary School Marlborough
• Lambourn CofE Primary School Hungerford
• St John's Marlborough Marlborough
• St Katharine's CofE Primary School Marlborough
• Oare Church of England Primary School Marlborough
• Great Bedwyn Church of England School Marlborough
• John O'Gaunt School Hungerford
• Burbage Primary School Marlborough
• Easton Royal Academy Pewsey

What is Liden Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Liden Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Liden Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Liden Academy was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Liden Academy have?

Liden Academy has 395 pupils on roll.

What age range does Liden Academy cover?

Liden Academy for pupils aged 0 to 11.

What are Liden Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Liden Academy?

Liden Academy is at Liden Drive, Liden, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 6EX.