The Deanery CofE Academy

About The Deanery CofE Academy

The Deanery CofE Academy is a mixed secondary school in Swindon, operating under the local authority of Swindon. It is one of 15 schools of the same type in the area, though its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 rated it Inadequate overall, with leadership and management, quality of education, and personal development all judged Inadequate, and behaviour and attitudes marked as Requires improvement. Among its local peers, the school sits below New College Swindon, St Joseph's Catholic College, and Lydiard Park Academy in ranking scores, placing it at the lower end of the spectrum in the local landscape. The school has a Church of England religious character and is led by headteacher Jon Young. With a capacity of 1530, it currently enrols 768 pupils, meaning it is significantly under capacity, which may reflect the challenges it faces in attracting families given its current rating.

Academically, the school’s Ofsted breakdown paints a stark picture. The quality of education and personal development were both rated Inadequate, while behaviour and attitudes were judged as Requires improvement. The school does not have a sixth form, so students typically move on elsewhere after Year 11. The local authority average Progress 8 score is -0.06, which provides a benchmark for Swindon schools, but The Deanery’s own Progress 8 score is not available in the data. The school’s percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is 20.7%, slightly above the national average, which may indicate a higher level of disadvantage among its intake. Without published exam results or a Progress 8 figure, it is difficult to compare its academic performance directly with local peers, but the Ofsted rating suggests significant concerns about the quality of teaching and outcomes.

On the practical side, the school offers a wide range of facilities including an astro turf, swimming pool, sports hall, science labs, art studios, and a chapel. Sports provision includes rowing, martial arts, rugby, and cricket, while clubs range from gardening and eco club to debate and film club. The school has a broad SEND offer, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school was oversubscribed with 184 total applications for 143 places, though only 38 first-preference offers were made, suggesting many families placed it lower on their list. This school may suit families who value its extensive facilities and SEND support, but who are aware of the current Ofsted rating and the need for improvement.

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