Swindon Academy - The School Companion

Swindon Academy

Swindon · SN2 1JR

General information All-through School · 2-19 years Who goes here 1820 pupils, 38.2% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 16.8% on SEN support Behaviour 8.2% absence rate Staff 24.8% turnover Financials £7,959 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

We haven't asked this school for its behaviour and staffing figures yet. Sign up to tell us you'd like them, and we'll email you when they arrive.

Notify me

Your email address

Leave this empty

We'll email you a link to confirm first. Your address is only used for news about this school, and every email has a link to stop them. Privacy

Swindon Academy

General Information

Address: Beech Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1JR – View on map
Phone: 01793426900
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Karen Wright
Age range: 2-19 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 224 families put it first for 200 places – 11 for every 10 places. 83% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 11 · 2024 10 · 2025 12 · 2026 11
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 65 families put it first for 66 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

1820 pupils out of 2243 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 625
% eligible for free school meals: 38.2%
Pupil mix: 7 in 10 (more mixed than the Swindon average)
English as an additional language: 40% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 24.8% a year (Swindon 16.8%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 37% moved to another school, 63% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Swindon: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 34 (2.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 49 (3.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 18 (1.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Swindon, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 8.2%
Persistently absent pupils: 22.8%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 16.8%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.3%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 116 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 97 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 53 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 14 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 12 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Moderate learning difficulty: 15 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 12 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 8 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Hearing impairment: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Be the first to review — win £100 of books for your school Every honest review enters you into our prize draw

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

–

Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

–

Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Ofsted report card May 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard
Early years Strong standard
Sixth form (post-16) Expected standard
Leadership and governance Strong standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2022). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

SecondaryGCSE results, Year 11

Attainment 8 score: 50.2
Compared with the area: 4.9 points above the Swindon average (45.3)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (+4.6 points against an expected 45.6)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 76% (Swindon 65%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolSwindon averageEngland↗ Improving Up 3.3 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 4.9 points above the Swindon average (45.3).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

2nd of 14 all-through schools in Swindon for Attainment 8

#1The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College53.5
#2Swindon Academy50.2
#3Nova Hreod Academy49.1
#4Lydiard Park Academy47.0

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College53.5
#2Swindon Academy50.2
#3Nova Hreod Academy49.1
#4Lydiard Park Academy47.0
#5The Deanery CofE Academy46.6
#6The Commonweal School46.3
#7Abbey Park School46.2
#8Highworth Warneford School46.0
#9Great Western Academy45.5
#10The Dorcan Academy44.3
#11Kingsdown School41.4
#12St Joseph's Catholic College38.0
#13Lawn Manor Academy37.5
#14UTC Swindon32.4

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 87.0%
Went into further education: 81.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Literature
English Language
Science Double Award
Geography
Spanish
Business Studies
History
Art & Design
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Computer Science
Food Technology
Music Studies (General)
Photography
Religious Studies
D & T
Polish
Speech & Drama
Portuguese
Turkish
Bengali
Urdu

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

PrimaryYear 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 44% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 16 percentage points below the Swindon average (60%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 45% against an expected 58%)
3-year average (expected standard): 45%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 59% · Writing 58% · Maths 50% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 34%
Average test scores: reading 101, maths 99
Based on: 110 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolSwindon averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 16 percentage points below the Swindon average (60%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 47th of 54 junior and primary schools in the area

=47Colebrook Junior School44%
=47Peatmoor Community Primary School44%
=47Swindon Academy44%
=50Nythe Primary School38%
=50Seven Fields Primary School38%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

=1Moredon Primary School83%
=1Tregoze Primary School83%
#3Abbey Meads Community Primary School81%
=4Holy Rood Catholic Primary School80%
=4Lift Hazelwood80%
=4Rodbourne Cheney Primary School80%
=4The Croft Primary School80%
#8Wanborough Primary School77%
#9Lethbridge Primary School75%
#10Gorse Hill Primary School74%
=11Haydonleigh Primary School72%
=11Oakhurst Community Primary School72%
#13Drove Primary School71%
=14Brook Field Primary School70%
=14Shaw Ridge Primary School70%
=14Southfield Junior School70%
=14St Francis CofE Primary School70%
=14St Mary's Catholic Primary School70%
#19Robert Le Kyng Primary School69%
=20Ferndale Primary School & Nursery68%
=20Greenmeadow Primary School68%
=20St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Swindon68%
=23Catherine Wayte Primary School67%
=23Mountford Manor Primary School67%
=25Lawn Primary and Nursery School65%
=25Wroughton Junior School65%
#27Westrop Primary & Nursery School63%
#28Chiseldon Primary & Nursery School62%
=29Grange Junior School61%
=29Liden Academy61%
=29Millbrook Primary School61%
=32Bridlewood Primary School60%
=32South Marston Church of England Primary School60%
#34Goddard Park Community Primary School59%
#35Holy Family Catholic Primary School58%
#36Ruskin Junior School56%
#37Orchid Vale Primary School54%
=38Haydon Wick Primary School53%
=38St Leonard's Church of England Primary Academy53%
#40King William Street Church of England Primary School52%
=41Covingham Park Primary School51%
=41Red Oaks Primary School51%
=43Oliver Tomkins Church of England Junior School50%
=43Westlea Primary School50%
#45Holy Cross Catholic Primary School48%
#46Tadpole Farm CofE Primary Academy45%
=47Colebrook Junior School44%
=47Peatmoor Community Primary School44%
=47Swindon Academy44%
=50Nythe Primary School38%
=50Seven Fields Primary School38%
#52Eldene Nursery and Primary School37%
#53Oaktree Nursery and Primary School36%
#54Lainesmead Primary School and Nursery35%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,959 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

7th of 14 all-through schools in Swindon for spending per pupil

#5Lawn Manor Academy£8,174
#6Kingsdown School£8,129
#7Swindon Academy£7,959
#8Nova Hreod Academy£7,906
#9Great Western Academy£7,686

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1UTC Swindon£10,764
#2The Deanery CofE Academy£8,849
#3Highworth Warneford School£8,368
#4St Joseph's Catholic College£8,341
#5Lawn Manor Academy£8,174
#6Kingsdown School£8,129
#7Swindon Academy£7,959
#8Nova Hreod Academy£7,906
#9Great Western Academy£7,686
#10The Commonweal School£7,470
#11The Dorcan Academy£7,298
#12Abbey Park School£7,163
#13Lydiard Park Academy£6,929
#14The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College£6,734

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

Have you rated Swindon Academy yet? Your experience helps other parents.

Rate this school

General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Swindon: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Year 6 SATs ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered