Swillington Primary School

About Swillington Primary School

Swillington Primary School is a popular choice among local families, with every one of its 27 first-preference applicants for the 2025/26 academic year receiving an offer. The school was oversubscribed by a factor of two, receiving 54 total applications for those places, which signals strong confidence from parents in the village. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in July 2024, confirmed that it remains Good, a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2015 when it was rated Requires Improvement. Leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness were all judged Good. The school is non-religious and co-educational, serving children from age 3 through 11, with nursery provision available on site. With 206 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, it is running very close to full, and a third of its pupils are eligible for free school meals, reflecting a genuinely mixed intake.

Academically, Swillington performs solidly against local benchmarks. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is four percentage points above the Leeds local authority average of 61%. The school’s maths results were particularly strong, with 80% of pupils reaching the expected standard and 40% achieving the higher standard. Reading scores were also healthy, with 85% at the expected level and 30% at the higher level, while writing saw 70% at the expected level and 10% at the higher level. Average scaled scores in both reading and maths stood at 107. In the Leeds local authority ranking, Swillington sits at 94th out of 204 primary schools, placing it in the top half of schools in the area. Nationally, it ranks in the 43rd percentile among all state primaries, a respectable middle-ground position.

The school offers a good range of facilities for a primary of its size, including a library, music rooms, art studios, a sports hall, a gymnasium, and a Forest School area. Sports provision covers dance, netball, football, athletics, gymnastics and swimming, while clubs include choir, chess, art club and drama. For children with additional needs, the school has identified provisions for moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Colton Primary School, 2.8 km away. Swillington Primary suits families who want a well-regarded local school with strong maths outcomes, a broad enrichment offer, and a clear track record of improvement since its Requires Improvement days. The oversubscription ratio means applying as a first preference is essential.

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