Abbey Park School
Academy sponsor led · 1,193 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.2
Academy converter
The Commonweal School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,442of 1,400 places
- Free school meals
- 17.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 214
- Ofsted
- School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next, 14 June 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Commonweal School (URN 126505, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 221 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Commonweal School in 2023, 39% stayed on in The Commonweal School’s own sixth form (Swindon average 19%), 41% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Drama is unusually popular at GCSE: 21% of the year group took it, against 7% of pupils across England.
Among the 139 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 40% went to university (Swindon 26%, England 37%), and 15% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
A level grades average C, well below the England average of B-; 7% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Business Studies, Mathematics and Psychology.
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 | The Commonweal School | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 221 | 2,533 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 96% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 94% | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 39% | 19% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 14% | 19% | 13% |
| — further education college | 41% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 1% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | The Commonweal School | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 139 | 2,474 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 83% | 76% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 40% | 26% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 15% | 8% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 27% | 34% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Commonweal School | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 46.3 | 44.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 38% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 36% | 34% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.12 | 3.91 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 19% | 23% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.0 | 32.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 49.0 | 47.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 24% | 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 | 213 | 100% | 89% | 17% | 20% | 69% |
| Mathematics | 213 | 100% | 88% | 15% | 22% | 68% |
| English Literature | 213 | 100% | 86% | 17% | 21% | 70% |
| Combined Science | 148 | 69% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 48% |
| Business Studies | 111 | 52% | 18% | 9% | 20% | 47% |
| Geography | 107 | 50% | 41% | 21% | 25% | 66% |
| History | 105 | 49% | 41% | 19% | 26% | 61% |
| Biology | 64 | 30% | 23% | 41% | 45% | 94% |
| Physics | 63 | 29% | 23% | 32% | 46% | 95% |
| Chemistry | 62 | 29% | 23% | 37% | 47% | 98% |
| Religious Studies | 51 | 24% | 31% | 22% | 32% | 80% |
| Spanish | 49 | 23% | 19% | 35% | 27% | 82% |
| French | 46 | 21% | 18% | 17% | 29% | 72% |
| Drama | 44 | 21% | 7% | 18% | 27% | 75% |
| Sociology | 41 | 19% | 4% | 15% | 21% | 68% |
| Fine Art | 39 | 18% | 9% | 8% | 28% | 64% |
| Graphic Communication | 30 | 14% | 1% | 0% | 23% | 33% |
| Computer Science | 21 | 10% | 13% | 24% | 30% | 67% |
| Media Studies | 18 | 8% | 4% | 28% | 20% | 67% |
| Music | 17 | 8% | 5% | 24% | 33% | 76% |
| Dance | 14 | 7% | 1% | 36% | 27% | 86% |
| Portuguese | 10 | 5% | 0% | 60% | 50% | 100% |
| Polish | 5 | 2% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Italian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 0% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Photography | 1 | 0% | 6% | — | 19% | — |
| German | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 49 | 46% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 34 | 32% | — |
| Health Studies | 24 | 22% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 16 | 15% | — |
| Additional Mathematics FSMQ | 4 | 4% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The Commonweal School | Swindon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 295 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 107 | 766 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 28.69 | 29.32 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 7% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | 42 | 39% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 29 | 27% | 31% |
| Psychology | 21 | 20% | 23% |
| Biology | 15 | 14% | 20% |
| Economics | 15 | 14% | 13% |
| Law | 14 | 13% | 4% |
| Physical Education | 13 | 12% | 3% |
| Physics | 12 | 11% | 12% |
| Media Studies | 11 | 10% | 4% |
| Chemistry | 8 | 7% | 17% |
| Geography | 8 | 7% | 10% |
| Film Studies | 7 | 7% | 2% |
| Graphic Communication | 7 | 7% | 2% |
| Politics | 6 | 6% | 6% |
| Computer Science | 6 | 6% | 5% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| English Language and Literature | — | — | 2% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Portuguese | — | — | 0% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Sociology | — | — | 13% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 38 | 36% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 18 | 17% | — |
| Speech and Drama | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 11 | 10% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 10 | 9% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 8 | 7% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 7 | 7% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 6 | 6% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Religious Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Spanish | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Drama | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Religious Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Drama | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Swindon
Great Western Academy
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85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.5
Kingsdown School
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82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.4
Lawn Manor Academy
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Lydiard Park Academy
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86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.0
Nova Hreod Academy
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84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.1
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.