OFSTED
14 June 2023
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Swindon
Trust
THE COMMONWEAL SCHOOL
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,442
1,442 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
790
54.8% of pupils
Male pupils
652
45.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
9.3 pts
below England
School
15.5%
Swindon
20.9%
South West
20.1%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
0.1 pts
below England
School
20.2%
Swindon
25.2%
South West
10.7%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
2.2 pts
above England
School
3.2%
Swindon
2.1%
South West
1.5%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
62.1%
896
Indian
7.4%
106
Any other White background
7.3%
105
African
3.9%
56
Any other Asian background
3.1%
45
Unclassified
3.1%
45
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
15.9%
229 of
1,442 pupils
4.9 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
3.0 pts
below
England
6.0%
1.9 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
46.3
7.1 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.11 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
9.50%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
3.28 pts
higher than
England
School
9.50%
Swindon
6.16%
South West
6.20%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
23.43%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
7.61 pts
higher than
England
School
23.43%
Swindon
15.33%
South West
15.08%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
5.30%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
3.49 pts
higher than
England
School
5.30%
Swindon
1.90%
South West
1.90%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
103.0%
10.7 pts
above England
The Commonweal School
103.0%
Swindon
85.1%
South West
88.7%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.