Uplands School
The Learning Campus, Tadpole Lane, Swindon, SN25 2NB
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BRUNEL ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Dr Katie Cook
- Sponsor
- Brunel Academies Trust
- SEN provision
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Swindon North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 173
- Pupils on roll
- 172
- URN
- 143014
- Local authority
- Swindon
- Telephone
- 01793493910
About this school
Uplands School is a special academy in Swindon. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 172 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Uplands School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 20 | 16 | 20 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Uplands 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 155 |
| 2023/24 | 171 |
| 2024/25 | 170 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
Inspection history
- 2 July 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report30 November 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 44.44%
- English as an additional language
- 22.9%
- Overall absence
- 10.6%
- Persistent absence
- 28.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Brimble Hill Special School0.2 miles
Academies · Swindon
-
Churchward School0.9 miles
Free Schools · Swindon
-
Compass Community School Wheatley Park1.7 miles
Special schools · Swindon
-
St Luke's Academy2.2 miles
Academies · Swindon
-
Crowdys Hill School2.6 miles
Special schools · Swindon
Other schools in Swindon
- Aspris Ridgeway School Special schools
- Brimble Hill Special School Academies
- Churchward School Free Schools
- Compass Community School Wheatley Park Special schools
- Connex Special schools
- Crowdys Hill School Special schools
- EOTAS Swindon Local authority maintained schools
- Nyland School Academies
- St Luke's Academy Academies
- The Chalet School Academies
- Abbey Farm Educate Together Primary Primary
- Abbey Meads Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Uplands School teach?
- Uplands School teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a special school in Swindon.
- Who is the headteacher of Uplands School?
- The headteacher of Uplands School is Dr Katie Cook, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Uplands School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Uplands 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 Uplands School?
- Uplands School has 172 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is Uplands School full?
- Uplands School has capacity for 173 pupils and 172 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Uplands School a faith school?
- No. Uplands School has no designated religious character.
- Is Uplands School part of an academy trust?
- Uplands School is part of BRUNEL ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Uplands School have?
- The schools register lists Uplands School's special educational needs provision as: SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Uplands School's absence rate?
- Uplands School's overall absence rate is 10.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Uplands School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Uplands 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 2 July 2026.