The Sweyne Park School

About The Sweyne Park School

Parents seem genuinely positive about The Sweyne Park School. In the most recent Parent View survey, covering September 2024 to September 2025, 82% of the 142 respondents said they would recommend the school to other parents. That’s a strong signal, and it’s backed up by the detail: 86% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, and 90% felt their child is safe. On the question of whether the school has high expectations, 83% agreed or strongly agreed. The school is also heavily oversubscribed. For the 2025/26 intake, there were 227 places available but 841 applications in total, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.7 to one. Of those, 194 first-preference families received offers, which suggests that for many local families, this is their top choice. The acting headteacher is John Edwards, and the school operates as a mixed, non-faith secondary with a sixth form, serving pupils aged 11 to 19.

Academically, the picture is more mixed. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2025 rated it Good across all areas, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. This is a clear improvement from its previous inspection in February 2023, when it was rated Requires Improvement overall. At Key Stage 4, the Progress 8 score is -0.38, which is below the local authority average of -0.18 and places the school in the bottom 50 nationally. The Attainment 8 score is 40.2, and 58.7% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is 47.7%, with 26.1% achieving the full EBacc at grade 4 or above. At A-level, the picture is more encouraging: the value added score is 0.05, which is rated as Average, and the average points per entry is 35.02, equivalent to a B- grade. The best three A-levels average out at a C+.

The school is well equipped, with facilities including science labs, a sports hall, a swimming pool, a gymnasium, a library, a sixth form centre, art studios, and playing fields. There is also a chapel on site. Sports on offer include rowing, martial arts, rugby, swimming, football, netball, rounders, and cricket, while clubs range from choir and debate to coding, chess, and Model UN. For pupils with special educational needs, the school has a resourced provision and supports a wide range of needs, including dyslexia, autism, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. In the Parent View survey, 76% of the 33% of respondents with SEND children agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives them the support they need. This is a large secondary school with 1,422 pupils, close to its capacity of 1,520, and 18.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. It will suit families who value a strong community feel, a wide range of extracurriculars, and a school that has demonstrably improved its Ofsted rating in recent years.

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