School Chooser

The Springfields Academy

Special · ages 4-19MixedAcademy267 pupilsCalneWiltshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedStrong teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance88.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families40%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull267 pupils, 267 places
Pupils per teacher5.4School workforce census

The Springfields Academy is a sponsored special academy in Calne for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 267 pupils and every place is taken. About 40 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Curzon Street, Calne, SN11 0DS01249 814125springfields.wilts.sch.ukMrs Nicola Whitcombe headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 28 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Strong
Achievement
Strong
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Exceptional
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Exceptional
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Exceptional
Early years
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
9 March 2022Academy First Section 5Good

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

24 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score4.1
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths4%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.46In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 9.79.720182019: 2.32.320192022: 7.17.120222023: 4.34.320232024: 4.04.020242025: 4.14.12025
Since 2018: -5.6
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018†WiltshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11242925121610
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 84.14.04.37.12.39.747.046.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.46-1.70-1.33-1.88-2.34
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%4%0%0%0%45%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths4%3%8%0%0%10%66%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.240.270.250.420.070.954.114.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%31%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged0.90.34.82.3
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged6.17.13.92.1
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers5.13.08.72.1

† These results are for The Springfields Academy, the school this one replaced in November 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Subjects

Results came out for 1 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.

What is taught here

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics714%29%29%53%

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.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

10 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
2016: 0%0%20162017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2016: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232018†2017†2016†WiltshireEngland
Pupils tested10131317910
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score95.093.095.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score89.089.090.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score92.091.091.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%24%11%10%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%11%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-7.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-11.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for The Springfields Academy, the school this one replaced in November 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. Every gap at this school is 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

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0.96.1
Gap 5.2England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 22 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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.

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 Wiltshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll267Census January 2026
Places267100% full
Pupils from low-income families40%40% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%267 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)53%£181,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls219 / 48
White British pupils85%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Wiltshire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (261), language and communications needs (3), Moderate learning difficulty (1), emotional and mental health (1), Vision impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll267241210231207205
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals40%52%44%44%40%38%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%3%3%2%2%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support1%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans99%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance88.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school32.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils7.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.8%12.2%18.1%16.5%10.3%10.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence8.4%8.4%12.7%12.7%8.0%8.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.4%3.9%5.4%3.8%2.3%1.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence32.3%34.3%43.9%46.1%24.5%30.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate7.915.725.530.915.1
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 25 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training80%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 83%, compared with 77% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training80%92%96%100%
Education72%83%96%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work8%8%0%0%
Not in education, work or training4%8%0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers49.6full-time equivalent, 51 people
Pupils per teacher5.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants38.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,781
Teachers who left in the year27%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.02024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£27,685England £30,720. Total £6.7m
Income per pupil£31,668England £33,526. Total £7.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£13,751England £11,966
Money in reserve15%A healthy amount put by: £1.1m, £4,703 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£960kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£27,685spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m7612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate56 per 1,000 people39% lower than the England average
Typical house price£320,000Wiltshire
Nearest bus stop100 mThe Springfield Academy, 15 stops within 500 m

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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Marys Calne and St Margarets PrepIndependent360 m449Not inspectedCompare
Fynamore Primary SchoolCouncil760 m411Good 202319Compare
Marden Vale CofE AcademyAcademy0.7 miles146Requires improvement 20235Compare
Saint Edmund's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles76No overall grade 20253Compare
Priestley Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles282Good 202414Compare
Kingsbury Green AcademyAcademy1.0 miles1,077Report card 202618Compare
Holy Trinity Church of England AcademyAcademy1.1 miles211Report card 202638Compare
Derry Hill Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England1.9 miles206Requires improvement 20248Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The Springfields Academy a good school?

The Springfields Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from April 2026 rated its teaching as strong.

What is The Springfields Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 28 April 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as exceptional.

How good are The Springfields Academy's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% 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 4.1, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How good are The Springfields Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does The Springfields Academy have?

267 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 267 places, so it is 100% full.

What is attendance like at The Springfields Academy?

Pupils were in school 88.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 32% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does The Springfields Academy have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Curzon Street, Calne, SN11 0DS
Telephone
01249 814125
Website
www.springfields.wilts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Nicola Whitcombe
Type of school
Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-19
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
Reach South Academy Trust (20 schools)
Local authority
Wiltshire
Ward
Calne Chilvester & Abberd
Constituency
Chippenham
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2017 (fresh start)
URN
145198 · LAESTAB 8657000 · UKPRN 10065902
Formerly
The Springfields Academy

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from