Classpot

The Commonweal School

Swindon, SN1 4JESecondaryAges 11–19MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
Jun 2023
Progress 8
-0.11
Below average
−20+2
Competition
1.2×
Oversubscribed
277 1st-choice / 229 places
Ranking
#1,786
of 3,141 nationally

About The Commonweal School

The Commonweal School is a large mixed secondary and sixth form in Swindon, part of the Swindon local authority. It is one of 15 state secondary schools in the area and ranks 10th among them by Progress 8 score, placing it in the bottom half locally. The top-performing peers in Swindon are New College Swindon, St Joseph's Catholic College, and Lydiard Park Academy, all of which post stronger academic progress scores. Commonweal is a non-faith school with no religious character, led by headteacher Charles Drew, and it educates 1,382 pupils, very close to its capacity of 1,400. The school has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 17.7%, reflecting its inclusive intake. In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2017, the school was rated Good overall, and an ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed it remains Good with an improving trajectory. The sixth form provision was also rated Good.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 19 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterNone
AddressThe Mall, Swindon, Swindon, SN1 4JE
HeadteacherCharles Drew
Local AuthoritySwindon
Number of Pupils1,382
Free School Meals (FSM)17.7%
School Capacity1,382 / 1,400 (99% full)
Sixth FormYes

The full report on this school

The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
See an example
One-off paymentNo subscriptionStripe checkout

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

14 Jun 2023
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
Sixth Form Provision
Good

Latest monitoring visit (14 Jun 2023): School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next

Source: Ofsted, 9 Jan 2018. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

9
Music RoomsScience LabsSports HallICT SuiteDining HallArt StudiosSwimming PoolLibrarySixth Form Centre

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

15

Sports

SwimmingAthleticsHockeyCricketRugbyTennisFootball

Clubs & Activities

Book ClubDebateChoirDramaScience ClubDuke of EdinburghYoung EnterpriseModel United Nations

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

Resourced Provision
AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingVisionPhysicalLearning DifficultyResourced ProvisionOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

Was this page helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions About The Commonweal School

The Commonweal School has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.