swindon secondary schools.

[crkm]

may be moving to swindon - dont know the place at all :(
what are the secondary schools like?

[pinksancerre]

Don't know about Swindon but wootton bassett school is apparently good.

[pinksancerre]

And only a couple of miles outside Swindon

[Kellamity]

St Josephs Catholic College (I think it's an academy now) has a very good reputation but I don't know about any others I'm afraid although I can find out if no one else helps sooner.

[doblet]

You don't know it at all? You may want to visit soon and incorporate places within a reasonable commuting distance. There are lots of nice places near Swindon but don't get too excited about Swindon itself. Marlborough has an excellent school for example.

[HorsesDogsNails]

There are a number of good secondary schools in Swindon. The league tables should be on the council website. Commonweal, Isambard, Warneford, Braydon Forest, Kingddown & Nova Hreod are all worth a look. Be wary of The Swindon Academy, Lydiard Park Academy and Dorcan IMO.

[mummyplonk]

Hiya, there is quite a choice now as so many new families are settling in North Swindon but I hear the waiting lists are starting with a few of the newer ones. Bradon Forest is usually up there at the top of recommendations as is woot ton Bassett ( royal ;) as pinks said, the catholic school is called st josephs. It's a great place to raise a family, local to the Cotswolds without the high cost of living. Good luck with the move.

[rosieposey]

Both my dc's go to Bradon forest school which is in a village local to North Swindon where we live. North Swindon is nice and a few children around here go there on the bus ( I drive them as I am a sahm ) it's in a village called Purton which we are hoping to move to soon (as I'm a bit of a country girl at heart) it's only about 3 miles out.
The poster above is right about proximity to nice countryside and the Cotswolds - Swindon itself isn't that beautiful but the outskirts to the north are very nice and close to everything that you need. I've heard good things about wootton Bassett school too.

[BettySuarez]

Would avoid Isambard if I were you. Farmors, Bradon, Warneford all good

[crkm]

thank you - will have a look at some websites. having to move for husbands work!!

[Kellamity]

Do you have to live in Swindon or can he be in commutable distance? Chippenham is quite nice and has very good secondary schools. Would take 30 mins to commute on the M4 or back roads. As others have said Marlborough is another very nice place.

[HorsesDogsNails]

Betty, my DS is Y8 at Isambard and doing really well. It's not perfect but is any school? My DD (Y5) will follow him there and I have no qualms.... Why do you say to avoid? I'm not being funny or defensive, I'm genuinely interested

[adelicatequestion]

I have 3 children at Isambard and all are doing fantastically and love it there.

Wootton Bassett has a very good reputation.

I would go and visit schools. All have their pluses and minuses.

[BettySuarez]

Hi, just to clarify re Isambard. No personal experience of the school myself but have 4 closeish friends who have all removed their children from there.

Various reasons I think although seem to remember poor teaching was mentioned and issues re exams. I agree that every school has it's ups and downs though

It's good to hear that your children are doing well there

[sozzledchops]

from what I know, Commnweal in Old Town, Ridgeway in nearby Wroughton, St Josephs (Catholic) all have good reputations. Wotton Bassett just a few mins drive from Swindon also has an excellent reputation and Ofstead report.

Swindon is huge and there are nice parts with great facilities, but nearby you have stunning towns like Marlborough and Cirencester and loads of nearby villages with very good schools and only a 20 min drive away.

[crkm]

move deffinately on - in 18 months - time to start checking places out!

[TallulahMcFey]

I would suggest Commonweal, Ridgeway, St Joseph's and Kingsdown in Swindon and Bradon Forest, Warneford, Farmors and Wootton Bassett outside Swindon. I personally would avoid Churchfields, Dorcan, Swindon Academy (at all costs), Lydiard Park Academy and Nova Hreod (not unless you really have to). I would also avoid Isambard as I also know some people who took their children out. I don't think that any school in Swindon is brilliant but the ones I suggested are all above average. If I was choosing from scratch like you though, I would definitely be looking at Wootton Bassett. It is a very attractive school with a good reputation and performs well in the league tables. My daughter went to Commonweal and we were more than happy (moving to avoid Churchfields) and I have another starting there this September.

[steppemum]

sorry I wouldn't touch Nova Hreod and Isambard (very popular new school, but I don't like all I have heard about it)

If you move to west swindon, then I would go for busing to Bradon Forest.
If near Highworth, there is a good secondary there too.
Farmors is good but a bus ride away and you need to be near where the bus goes from (Farmers is in Fairford)

Actually I totally endorse what Tallulah says, depends if you need to ne in, on the outskirts or nearby (likw Wootton Bassett)

Ridgeway has great results, but when we visited we didn't like it. Maybe just hit a bad day

[steppemum]

sorry for typos

[steppemum]

Isambard is a new school and I haven't yet seen any exam results from it (last years maybe out now??) So it is untested

[thesnootyfox]

In order of GCSE results:

Top 3:

1. Ridgeway
2. Isambard
3. Commonweal

Bottom 3:

1. Swindon Academy
2. Nova Herod
3. St Joesphs

[thesnootyfox]

Kingsdown going downhill, only 45% getting good GCSEs. Churchfields has 56% getting good GCSEs and if you take the demographics into account I think that demonstrates that Churchfields is doing something right!

[steppemum]

I am assuming that those are swindon results?

The only reason I ask is because wootton, bradon forest, farmers and Highworth are all outside of swindon. (wilts and Glos) so you may need to check several places to get the results to compare.


personally I would also look at the area around the school, it gives you some idea of where most kids come from

Interesting that people list Lydiard Academy as a no go. I don't know myuch about it, but have a friend whose kids went/go there are said it was lovely school (but not very academic!)

[steppemum]

I know a lot of people like St Josephs, but I thought their results weren't great and that results table shows it.

[thesnootyfox]

Wootton Bassett and Bradon Forest are listed on the Wiltshire table. They used to be a lot higher in terms of results than Swindon schools but not so much these days. The top 3 in Swindon are higher than both WB and BF. Churchfields is higher than BF which might surprise a lot of people.

[Masterchuff]

Depends where you are going to live but Warneford in Hoghworth is excellent. They have a number of places for kids from the NorthSwindon area but obviously precedence is given to Highworth residents. But, Highworth is a great commuter town for Swindon with a regular bus route and is a lovely place. Swindon is a bit dull but the north Swindon developments are nice. For town centre Commonwheel and St Joseph's are good.