Shaw Ridge Primary School

About Shaw Ridge Primary School

Shaw Ridge Primary School sits almost exactly on the Swindon local authority average for the key stage 2 combined expected standard in reading, writing and maths, with 62% of pupils hitting that benchmark against a LA average of 62%. That places it 26th out of 51 primary schools in the area, squarely in the middle of the pack. Where the school does nudge ahead is in maths: 79% of pupils reached the expected standard, and the average maths score of 106 is solid. Reading and writing both sit at 76% for expected standards, again in line with what you’d expect locally. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard across all three subjects is 17%, which is respectable but not exceptional. With 11.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a broadly representative intake, and its results suggest it delivers consistent, middle-of-the-road outcomes without dramatic highs or lows.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection from March 2022, Shaw Ridge was rated Good across every category — overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision all scored a 2. That’s a clean sweep, and it’s worth noting the school has held a Good rating since at least its previous inspection in 2012. The progress scores for reading, writing and maths at key stage 2 are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points, but the attainment figures are steady. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom half, sitting at the 53rd percentile, and in the South West region it’s around the 47th percentile. For a primary of this size — 424 pupils against a capacity of 420 — the consistency across all Ofsted domains is a stronger signal than the exam rankings alone.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 132 applications for 54 places and 53 first-preference offers, giving a ratio of 2.44 applicants per place. That suggests strong local demand. Facilities include a dining hall, library, gymnasium, sensory room, playing fields, art studios, sports hall and a chapel — a broad offering for a state primary. Sports provision covers rounders, tennis, gymnastics and cross country, while clubs include gardening, coding, choir and chess. The SEND register is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. There’s also nursery provision from age two. For families in Swindon looking for a well-run, Good-rated primary with a full range of support and a busy extracurricular programme, Shaw Ridge is a reliable, popular choice that delivers exactly what the headline metrics suggest.

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