The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form CollegeThe Commonweal School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Swindon.
Summary of the comparison
The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College and The Commonweal School are secondary schools in Swindon.
The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College scores 64 out of 100 (grade C, average) and The Commonweal School scores 56 out of 100 (grade C, average). The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College is ahead on our composite score.
The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College was judged Good and The Commonweal School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 51.0 for The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College and 45.1 for The Commonweal School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College (54.2 in 2021-22, 51.0 in 2025-26) and has fallen at The Commonweal School (49.6 in 2021-22, 45.1 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | SwindonThe Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College | SwindonThe Commonweal School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C64/100Stronger figure | C56/100 | |
| Local ranking | 2nd of 14 in Swindon Stronger figure | 9th of 14 in Swindon | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-19 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,616 | 1,442 | |
| Capacity | 1,450 | 1,400 | |
| Location | Swindon, SN4 9DJ | Swindon, SN1 4JE | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 51.0 Stronger figure | 45.1 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 60.9% Stronger figure | 40.6% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 77.8% Stronger figure | 63.6% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 266 | 217 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 103 | 107 | |
| A-level average points | 37.0 Stronger figure | 28.7 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | B- | C | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 39.0 Stronger figure | 27.8 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 27.8% Stronger figure | 7.4% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,573 | 1,382 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 16.9% | 18.8% | |
| English as an additional language | 12.5% | 19.6% | |
| SEN support | 12.0% | 13.9% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.3% | 3.0% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.6% Stronger figure | 9.5% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 19.3% Stronger figure | 23.4% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
The Commonweal School
Full profiles: The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College · The Commonweal School