Swakeleys School for Girls

About Swakeleys School for Girls

Swakeleys School for Girls stands out sharply against the Hillingdon local authority average for secondary schools. While the LA average Progress 8 score sits at 0.06 — essentially flat, meaning pupils on average make exactly the progress expected nationally — Swakeleys posts a score of 0.64. That is more than ten times the local baseline and places the school fourth out of 21 similar schools in the borough, comfortably inside the top 25 per cent nationally. The school’s Progress 8 banding is officially classified as ‘well above average’, and the confidence interval (0.45 to 0.83) confirms this is a genuine, statistically significant outperformance, not a fluke. In English and open subjects the scores are particularly strong, at 0.91 each, while maths (0.26) and EBacc subjects (0.44) are more modest but still positive. For parents comparing options in Hillingdon, Swakeleys is clearly one of the strongest academic performers in the area, trailing only Bishopshalt, Northwood and Queensmead in the local rankings.

At GCSE, the school’s Attainment 8 score of 55.5 translates to roughly a strong pass per subject on average, and 79.3 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths — well above the national baseline. The EBacc average point score of 4.71 reflects solid performance across the core academic subjects, though only 27.6 per cent of pupils entered the full EBacc combination, and just 19.4 per cent achieved it at grade 5 or above. In the sixth form, the school’s value-added score of 0.02 is exactly in line with national expectations, and the average points per entry of 33 equates to a grade of C+. The best three A-levels averaged a B- grade, and the progress banding is rated as ‘Average’. This suggests that while the school adds exceptional value at Key Stage 4, sixth-form outcomes are more typical — solid but not transformative. The most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated the school Good across all categories, including quality of education, behaviour, personal development and leadership, a step down from its previous Outstanding rating in 2013.

Swakeleys is a large girls’ school with 1,398 pupils against a capacity of 1,174, meaning it is significantly oversubscribed. For entry in 2025/26, there were 512 applications for 234 places, with 176 first-preference offers made from 199 first-preference applications — an oversubscription ratio of 2.19. The school serves a relatively diverse intake, with 25.3 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, above the national average. Facilities are generous for a state school, including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a theatre, music rooms and a dedicated sixth form centre. The school lists a wide range of SEND provisions, covering dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, autism, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities. Clubs include the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model UN, debate, orchestra and Young Enterprise. For families in Hillingdon seeking a high-performing girls’ school with strong GCSE value-added, a broad extracurricular offer and a well-established sixth form, Swakeleys is a compelling choice — but securing a place will require a strong first preference application.

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