St Francis CofE Primary School
Aiken Road, Taw Hill, Swindon, SN25 1UH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Hester Millsop
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bristol
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Swindon North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 472
- Pupils on roll
- 432
- URN
- 134151
- Local authority
- Swindon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01793727624
About this school
St Francis CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Swindon. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 432 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Francis CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 62 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 47% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 5% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 74% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 68% | 78% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 76% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Francis CofE Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Swindon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 47% | 57.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 57.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 451 |
| 2023/24 | 443 |
| 2024/25 | 446 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Francis CofE Primary School compares
St Francis CofE Primary School ranked 17th of 54 primary schools in Swindon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 3.9% | 5.1% | 432 | — |
| Orchid Vale Primary School | 54% | 4.4% | 9.7% | 355 | 0.4 miles |
| Haydonleigh Primary School | 72% | 3.3% | 10.8% | 540 | 0.6 miles |
| Oakhurst Community Primary School | 72% | 4.5% | 16.3% | 397 | 0.7 miles |
| Red Oaks Primary School | 51% | 4.6% | 15.8% | 461 | 0.7 miles |
| Haydon Wick Primary School | 53% | 5.8% | 12.3% | 261 | 0.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 5.07%
- English as an additional language
- 15.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.88%
- Persistent absence
- 5.16%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Orchid Vale Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Swindon
-
Haydonleigh Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Swindon
-
Oakhurst Community Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Swindon
-
Red Oaks Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Swindon
-
Haydon Wick Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Swindon
Other schools in Swindon
St Francis CofE Primary School ranks 19th of the 64 ranked primary schools in Swindon.
- Abbey Farm Educate Together Primary Primary
- Abbey Meads Community Primary School Primary
- Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary School Primary
- Badbury Park Primary School Primary
- Beechcroft Infant School Primary
- Bishopstone Church of England Primary School Primary
- Bridlewood Primary School Primary
- Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Broad Town Church of England Primary School Primary
- Brook Field Primary School Primary
- Catherine Wayte Primary School Primary
- Chiseldon Primary & Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Francis CofE Primary School teach?
- St Francis CofE Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Swindon.
- Who is the headteacher of St Francis CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Francis CofE Primary School is Mrs Hester Millsop, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Francis CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Francis CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Francis CofE Primary School?
- St Francis CofE Primary School has 432 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Francis CofE Primary School full?
- St Francis CofE Primary School has capacity for 472 pupils and 432 on roll (92%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Francis CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Francis CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bristol.
- Does St Francis CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Francis CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Francis CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Francis CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Swindon?
- St Francis CofE Primary School ranked 17th of 54 primary schools in Swindon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Francis CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Francis CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Francis CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Francis CofE Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.