Highworth Warneford School
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Highworth Warneford School is a converter academy in Swindon for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 636 pupils and room for 925. About 21 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 55 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 61% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2022.
Shrivenham Road, Highworth, Swindon, SN6 7BZMiss Sophie Hesten headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 April 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
138 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 138 | 146 | 175 | 182 | 183 | 173 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 46.0 | 47.7 | 48.4 | 46.0 | 47.0 | 48.7 | 44.6 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.13 | -0.05 | -0.39 | -0.22 | +0.06 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 50% | 51% | 51% | 46% | 46% | 46% | 44% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 73% | 71% | 78% | 65% | 68% | 69% | 64% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.83 | 4.05 | 4.08 | 3.94 | 4.10 | 4.25 | 3.93 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 20% | 25% | 21% | 20% | 43% | 47% | 32% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 38.7 | 35.9 | 32.0 | 31.2 | 37.4 | 37.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 47.5 | 49.2 | 50.4 | 47.9 | 48.1 | 49.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 29.5 | 28.7 | 28.8 | 22.8 | 24.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 65.0 | 63.0 | 63.6 | 56.9 | 60.5 | – | – |
† These results are for Highworth Warneford School, the school this one replaced in September 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 19 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Drama (10% here, 60% across England), French (29% here, 60% across England), Chemistry (57% here, 81% across England), Physics (66% here, 82% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 135 | 24% | 62% | 83% | 53% | 809 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 135 | 13% | 50% | 74% | 54% | 1,810 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 131 | 21% | 56% | 76% | 58% | 1,584 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 85 | 6% | 29% | 57% | 36% | 1,920 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 74 | 19% | 42% | 54% | 51% | 1,981 of 3,116 |
| Art and Design | 55 | 18% | 56% | 78% | 58% | 1,539 of 2,818 |
| Biology | 47 | 43% | 75% | 85% | 82% | 1,852 of 2,570 |
| Physics | 44 | 23% | 66% | 75% | 82% | 2,076 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 44 | 21% | 57% | 71% | 81% | 2,253 of 2,537 |
| History | 42 | 24% | 41% | 52% | 52% | 2,208 of 3,126 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 28 | 29% | 57% | 61% | 52% | 440 of 1,098 |
| French | 24 | 13% | 29% | 38% | 60% | 1,819 of 1,974 |
| Music | 21 | 48% | 52% | 81% | 61% | 264 of 395 |
| Social Studies | 21 | 14% | 52% | 91% | 54% | 552 of 1,043 |
| Drama | 20 | 0% | 10% | 55% | 60% | 830 of 844 |
| Religious Studies | 19 | 26% | 74% | 74% | 60% | – |
| Design & Technology | 17 | 18% | 47% | 71% | 50% | – |
| Computer Science | 14 | 14% | 57% | 86% | 56% | – |
| German | 13 | 0% | 54% | 77% | 63% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
301 places were empty (33% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Swindon council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (49), emotional and mental health (32), Autistic spectrum disorder (13), Moderate learning difficulty (9), language and communications needs (5), Hearing impairment (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 636 | 630 | 652 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 21% | 19% | 15% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 21% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.6% | 8.5% | 10.6% | 9.9% | 4.4% | 5.5% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.2% | 5.4% | 8.1% | 8.2% | 3.2% | 4.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.4% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 1.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 21.9% | 22.8% | 43.2% | 30.4% | 10.9% | 11.1% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 29.5 | 20.3 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Highworth Warneford School, the school this one replaced in September 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsdown School | Academy | 3.2 miles | 1,108 | Good 2020 | 29 | Compare |
| Great Western Academy | Free school | 4.6 miles | 1,039 | Good 2023 | 54 | Compare |
| Swindon Academy | Academy | 4.6 miles | 1,820 | Report card 2026 | 75 | Compare |
| The Dorcan Academy | Academy | 4.8 miles | 881 | Good 2022 | 33 | Compare |
| Abbey Park School | Academy | 4.9 miles | 1,193 | Good 2023 | 64 | Compare |
| St Joseph's Catholic College | Academy | 4.9 miles | 1,425 | Good 2023 | 42 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Highworth Warneford School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 55 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 55% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 44 to 66. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | 0.00 | 2025 and 2024 results; 138 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 17% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well below | -0.39 | Ofsted grade, 4.4 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.03 | DfE progress measure; 138 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.35 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.02 | 2024/25; 659 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.06 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 138 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Highworth Warneford School a good school?
It is about average. Highworth Warneford School scores 55 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 61% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 44 to 66, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.
What is Highworth Warneford School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Highworth Warneford School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 5 April 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Highworth Warneford School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 50% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 46.0, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Highworth Warneford School have?
636 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 925 places, so it is 69% full.
Is Highworth Warneford School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 301 places were empty in 2024/25 (33% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Highworth Warneford School?
Pupils were in school 92.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Highworth Warneford School?
The average class had 22.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 4% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Highworth Warneford School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Shrivenham Road, Highworth, Swindon, SN6 7BZ
- Headteacher
- Miss Sophie Hesten
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- The Park Academies Trust (8 schools)
- Local authority
- Swindon
- Ward
- Blunsdon and Highworth
- Constituency
- Swindon North
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2023 (fresh start)
- URN
- 150277 · LAESTAB 8664008 · UKPRN 10093629
- Formerly
- Highworth Warneford School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.