Abbey Park School
Academy sponsor led · 1,193 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.2
Academy converter
The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
- Pupils on roll
- 1,616of 1,450 places
- Free school meals
- 17.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 270
- Ofsted
- Good, 18 April 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College (URN 126451, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 302 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College in 2023, 38% stayed on in The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College’s own sixth form (Swindon average 19%), 36% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 95 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 60% went to university (Swindon 26%, England 37%), and 21% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
German is unusually popular at GCSE: 21% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 53.5 against 46.1 across England and 44.0 in Swindon, with 62% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Swindon and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 302 | 2,533 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 90% | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 38% | 19% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 16% | 19% | 13% |
| — further education college | 36% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | — | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 95 | 2,474 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 87% | 76% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 60% | 26% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 21% | 8% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 19% | 34% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 53.5 | 44.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 62% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 78% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 76% | 34% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.08 | 3.91 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 15% | 23% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 39.6 | 32.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 56.0 | 47.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 11% | 16% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 270 | 100% | 89% | 18% | 20% | 79% |
| Mathematics | 270 | 100% | 88% | 35% | 22% | 86% |
| English Literature | 270 | 100% | 86% | 20% | 21% | 77% |
| Combined Science | 239 | 89% | 65% | 25% | 9% | 80% |
| Geography | 174 | 64% | 41% | 23% | 25% | 76% |
| Business Studies | 114 | 42% | 18% | 21% | 20% | 68% |
| History | 109 | 40% | 41% | 34% | 26% | 77% |
| French | 78 | 29% | 18% | 13% | 29% | 64% |
| Spanish | 72 | 27% | 19% | 22% | 27% | 67% |
| Physical Education | 64 | 24% | 11% | 11% | 24% | 69% |
| German | 58 | 21% | 5% | 2% | 33% | 43% |
| Computer Science | 55 | 20% | 13% | 22% | 30% | 69% |
| Fine Art | 53 | 20% | 9% | 32% | 28% | 91% |
| Drama | 34 | 13% | 7% | 18% | 27% | 88% |
| Design and Technology | 33 | 12% | 11% | 18% | 23% | 64% |
| Physics | 30 | 11% | 23% | 87% | 46% | 97% |
| Biology | 30 | 11% | 23% | 87% | 45% | 97% |
| Religious Studies | 30 | 11% | 31% | 43% | 32% | 83% |
| Chemistry | 29 | 11% | 23% | 93% | 47% | 100% |
| Economics | 27 | 10% | 1% | 41% | 34% | 81% |
| Textiles | 22 | 8% | 2% | 27% | 27% | 91% |
| Graphic Communication | 21 | 8% | 1% | 14% | 23% | 76% |
| Music | 15 | 6% | 5% | 13% | 33% | 73% |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Polish | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 39 | 38% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 28 | 27% | — |
| Animal Care (Non-Agricultural) | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 197 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 102 | 766 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 37.30 | 29.32 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 28% | 9% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 48 | 47% | 31% |
| Physics | 20 | 20% | 12% |
| Sociology | 19 | 19% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 18 | 18% | 17% |
| English Language and Literature | 18 | 18% | 2% |
| Business Studies | 17 | 17% | 13% |
| Psychology | 17 | 17% | 23% |
| Economics | 14 | 14% | 13% |
| Biology | 14 | 14% | 20% |
| History | 13 | 13% | 13% |
| Law | 12 | 12% | 4% |
| Further Mathematics | 11 | 11% | 5% |
| Computer Science | 10 | 10% | 5% |
| Geography | 9 | 9% | 10% |
| Drama | 9 | 9% | 2% |
| Photography | 6 | 6% | 3% |
| Graphic Communication | 6 | 6% | 2% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 18 | 18% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 12 | 12% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 9 | 9% | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 9% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 8 | 8% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 7 | 7% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 7% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 7 | 7% | — |
| Music performance: Group | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
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Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.