Churchward School
William Morris Way, Swindon, SN25 2PP
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BRUNEL ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Gareth Bailey
- Sponsor
- Brunel Academies Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Swindon North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 125
- Pupils on roll
- 139
- URN
- 145874
- Local authority
- Swindon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01793209198
About this school
Churchward School is a special academy in Swindon. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 139 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Churchward 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
- 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 | 17 | 14 | 24 |
| Attainment 8 score | 7.6 | 9.4 | 13.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -2.73 -3.61 to -1.86 | -2.14 -2.91 to -1.37 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 6% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 12% | 7.1% | 20.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.3 |
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 Churchward 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 | 7.6 | 37.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 9.4 | 37.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 13 | 40 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 15% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 16.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 91 |
| 2023/24 | 98 |
| 2024/25 | 127 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 44.21%
- English as an additional language
- 0.8%
- Overall absence
- 16.53%
- Persistent absence
- 45.83%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Uplands School0.9 miles
Academies · Swindon
-
Brimble Hill Special School1.1 miles
Academies · Swindon
-
Compass Community School Wheatley Park2.3 miles
Special schools · Swindon
-
St Luke's Academy2.4 miles
Academies · Swindon
-
Cricklade Manor Prep2.5 miles
Independent schools · Swindon
Other schools in Swindon
- Aspris Ridgeway School Special schools
- Brimble Hill Special School Academies
- 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
- Uplands School Academies
- Abbey Farm Educate Together Primary Primary
- Abbey Meads Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Churchward School teach?
- Churchward School teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a special school in Swindon.
- Who is the headteacher of Churchward School?
- The headteacher of Churchward School is Mr Gareth Bailey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Churchward School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Churchward 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 Churchward School?
- Churchward School has 139 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is Churchward School full?
- Churchward School has capacity for 125 pupils and 139 on roll (111%), so it is at or above 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 Churchward School a faith school?
- No. Churchward School has no designated religious character.
- Is Churchward School part of an academy trust?
- Churchward 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 Churchward School have?
- The schools register lists Churchward School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Churchward School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 7.6 in 2022/23 and 13 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Churchward School's absence rate?
- Churchward School's overall absence rate is 16.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Churchward School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Churchward 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 10 July 2026.