Swindon Academy places top of local table for GCSE progress

Staff at Swindon Academy are celebrating recent GCSE result success with validated progress scores that confirm it is top of the local authority league table.

The scores come as part of the Department for Education’s validated GCSE league tables released recently.

This national data is said to show schools’ performance on the Government’s Progress 8 measure, which calculates the average progress students make by GCSE, compared with other similar schools.

Swindon Academy staff say a progress score that meets the national average is set at 0 each year, with anything higher reflecting value added to a student’s achievements during their time at school.  

On Progress 8, Swindon Academy reportedly takes the top spot in Swindon, with a score of +0.69. A spokesperson for the school said this is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of students and staff, as well as the consistent strength of the school. 

The validated score comes off the back of a stellar set of results this summer where 62% of GCSE students achieved a grade 5 or above in both english and maths, making the academy the top-performing school in Swindon based on this measure.

Additionally, over two-fifths of the academy’s Year 11 pupils (21%) achieved a grade 7 or higher in english and maths.  

At A Level, 37% of all entries at United College Sixth Form – which is based at Swindon Academy – achieved grades A*-B. This is said to have enabled Sixth Formers to take up places at some of the country’s top Russell Group institutions - including the Universities of Bath and Cardiff.  

Karen Wright, Principal at Swindon Academy, said: “All of us at the academy are delighted to have secured the top Progress 8 score in Swindon. This shows that students at the academy are able to make stronger progress between Years 7 and 11 from their individual starting points than they would have made elsewhere.

"Thank you to our students and staff whose enduring commitment to their teaching and learning enables our young people to thrive and achieve their very best. We look forward to continuing to do all we can to support and nurture our young people so that they are able to achieve their goals and lead successful lives in the future.”