Royal Wootton Bassett Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.

Students' achievement is well above national standards. They make excellent progress in English and mathematics and other subjects, including art, music, German, religious studies and leisure and tourism. Sixth form students achieve outstanding A-level results.

Standards of teaching are outstanding in all years. The school's designation as a teaching school generates opportunities to train new teachers and further develop skills within the profession, enhancing the school's provision. There is a strong emphasis on developing students' personal skills, with many opportunities for them to take on responsibilities.

This pro...motes very high standards of behaviour and conduct. Students are very well prepared for the next stage of their lives. The iLearn tutor-led lessons provide an excellent, structured opportunity for students to develop independent learning skills.

Leadership and management of the school are excellent. The headteacher is supported by a very able team of leaders who share the same vision of securing the highest possible achievement for all students. The governing body is fully informed about the school's relative strengths and areas for improvement.

It works very effectively to support and challenge the leadership team to ensure that standards continue to improve. The sixth form is outstanding. High-quality teaching and the wide range of subjects on offer cater for students' needs.

They typically progress to their chosen university or college or to further training. Correctly described as a 'global school in a local community', the school has extensive links across the world and promotes tolerance, and a focus on enhancing the lives of others. Students participate in a very wide range of activities including sports, music, arts, summer schools and competitions in science.

Personal skills can also be developed through trips to Sweden, the USA, France, Belgium and China, and many other countries and by participation in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. There is a strong focus on developing students' sense of responsibility for others and for the environment, for example fundraising activities which paid for a school to be built in a community in Burma.

Information about this school

The school is much larger than the average secondary school and its sixth form is also large.

The school serves the town of Royal Wootton Bassett and the surrounding area. The vast majority of students are of White British heritage, with small numbers of several minority ethnic groups. The school became an academy in July 2011.

The predecessor school, known as Wootton Bassett School, was judged as outstanding at its last Ofsted inspection in 2010. The school was designated as a teaching school in 2013 and the headteacher is a national leader of education. The school leads an alliance of 13 schools and works with schools and teacher training establishments in the region to train new teachers and improve the quality of teaching across the profession.

The school is the senior partner in Challenge Partners and leads a hub with one special school and two primary schools. The school is growing steadily in size. An above-average number of students join or leave the school at times other than the usual, reflecting the high number of service families who live in the area.

The proportion of students supported through school action is below average, and the proportion supported through school action plus or with statements of special educational needs is also below average. A small proportion of students receive pupil premium funding. This provides additional funding for looked-after children, students known to be eligible for free school meals and children of service families.

In Years 7 and 8, a sixth of all students benefit from additional help in mathematics and English, funded by the government's catch-up programme. The school meets the government's current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress, in all areas. In Key Stage 4 a small number of students attend work-related training courses at other sites through Springfields College, Lackham Agricultural College and Swindon College.