What Swindon Academy does

Swindon Academy is a UK 0–19 academy opened in September 2007, operating three sites in Swindon: a main secondary school and headquarters at Beech Avenue (SN2 1JR), and two primary school sites at Beech Avenue and Alton Close (Penhill, SN2 5HF). It delivers a continuous educational pathway spanning Tree House Nursery (ages 2–4), primary education from Reception to Year 5/6, secondary education from Year 7 to Year 11 with a distinctive Grammar Stream for very able students, and United College Sixth Form (UCSF) offering 26+ A Level and Applied General subjects. The academy is part of United Learning, a national education charity comprising 100+ schools, which provides shared curriculum frameworks (including the United Learning Science Curriculum), back-office infrastructure, and access to the United Teaching initial teacher training programme (Ofsted-rated 'Outstanding').

The business model is that of a UK state-funded academy: core revenue is government per-pupil grant funding channelled through the Department for Education, with a modest supplementary income stream from nursery fees at £7.88/hour for hours not covered by universal 15-hour or extended 30-hour childcare entitlements. There is no commercial revenue diversification; the academy is a non-profit operating under the United Learning charitable trust structure. Distribution is via the national school admissions framework coordinated by Swindon local authority, supplemented by open evenings, transition events for feeder primaries, and an active social media presence. Technology is conventional EdTech: EPRAISE for parent communication, Chromebooks for homework, third-party learning platforms (Numbots, Times Table Rock Stars, Bedrock Vocabulary, Conquer Maths, Accelerated Reader), and the PUMA standardised assessment suite. No proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or public API is offered.

In 2025 the academy reported its strongest-ever GCSE results, with a Progress 8 score of 0.61 — top in Swindon and materially above the national average of -0.03 — alongside 75% of students achieving grade 4+ in English and maths, a 50.2 Attainment 8 score, and 38% A*–B at A Level with a 99% A*–E pass rate. It is led by Principal Karen Wright (appointed 2024) and is governed within the United Learning trust structure.

Name

Swindon Academy

Legal name

Swindon Academy

Website

https://swindon-academy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Swindon Academy is a UK 0–19 government-funded academy in Swindon, part of United Learning, delivering nursery, primary, secondary, and sixth form education across three sites to local families, with a Grammar Stream partnership with Marlborough College.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

Keywords

• All-through education
• Primary schooling
• Secondary schooling
• Sixth form provision
• Nursery education

Headquarters

HQ city

Swindon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Education: Core revenue from government funding for maintained academy status through Department for Education, providing free education for Reception through Year 11
2. Nursery Fees: Paid nursery hours at £7.88 per hour for hours not covered by government funding entitlements (15 or 30 hours free childcare)
3. Universal Free School Meals: Free meals provided to all children in Reception and Years 1 & 2, funded by government

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Swindon Academy is an all-through state-funded academy school delivering full-time education to pupils aged 2–19 across nursery, primary, secondary and sixth-form phases on a single campus in Swindon. The school operates as part of the United Learning multi-academy trust and provides the national curriculum, GCSE and A-level qualifications, alongside a programme of enrichment, pastoral care and extracurricular activities.

Product overview

Swindon Academy operates as a multi-phase educational institution providing a comprehensive cradle-to-career educational pathway through its integrated portfolio of products and services. The academy comprises two primary sites (Beech Avenue and Alton Close) offering Reception through Year 6 primary education, a secondary school (Years 7-11) with a distinctive Grammar Stream for able students, and United College Sixth Form (UCSF) offering 26+ A Level and vocational subjects. The product ecosystem is unified under United Learning's coordinated curriculum framework while allowing site-specific specialisation (e.g., White Rose Maths at Alton Close vs. Maths No Problem at Beech Avenue for mathematics mastery). Supporting services include Tree House Nursery providing early years education from age 2, and United Teaching programme for initial teacher training. The academy positions itself as a 'School of Character and Excellence' with core values of Hard Work, Kindness, and Responsibility woven throughout all phases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nursery provision

Quantifiable outcome

• Progress 8 score of 0.61 (compared to national average of -0.03)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• United LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwindon Academy is part of United Learning, a charity comprising United Learning Ltd, UCST, and ULT. United Learning comprises over 100 primary, secondary, and independent schools across England. The partnership provides shared resources, best practices, teacher training programmes (United Teaching), and governance structure for the academy.
• Marlborough CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique partnership with Marlborough College provides students with regular visits, residential trips, collaborative projects, and coaching and mentoring from Marlborough College staff and students. This partnership enhances the educational experience particularly for Grammar Stream students.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reach Academy Feltham: Small all-through (4-18) academy in Hounslow, often cited as a model cradle-to-career state school. Closely comparable to Swindon Academy's integrated 0-19 pathway and emphasis on university destination outcomes.
• Ark Schools: National multi-academy trust running a portfolio of primary, secondary, and all-through academies across England. Directly comparable as a state-funded MAT with centralised curriculum, teacher training, and school improvement functions similar to United Learning.
• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts operating primary, secondary, and all-through academies in London and the South East. Highly comparable to Swindon Academy as a state-funded academy chain running similar cradle-through-sixth-form models and competing for the same Progress 8/Attainment 8 league tables.
• Oasis Community Learning: UK multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies with an explicit character-and-values ethos (Oasis '9 Habits'). Comparable to Swindon Academy's 'School of Character and Excellence' positioning and full-phase academy model.
• Future Academies: Multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools in London with a knowledge-rich curriculum and university-readiness focus. Comparable in ethos to Swindon Academy's academic-rigour + character development positioning.
• William Hulme's Grammar School: All-through selective grammar school within the United Learning network in Manchester. Closely comparable as a United Learning academy with grammar-stream provision and similar character-and-excellence ethos.
• Dixons Academies Trust: Northern-based multi-academy trust with primary, secondary, and sixth-form phases known for strong Progress 8 performance. Comparable to Swindon Academy on league-table positioning and full-phase state-sector model.

Regional players

• The Commonweal School: Secondary academy in Swindon, also part of the United Learning network. Direct local peer and sister school within the same MAT, competing for the same Swindon secondary cohort.
• Nova Hreod Academy: Secondary academy in Swindon serving a similar 11-16 cohort. Direct local competitor to Swindon Academy for Swindon pupils and a relevant benchmark for Progress 8, GCSE, and A Level outcomes.

Others

• Marlborough College: Independent boarding school in Wiltshire that partners with Swindon Academy to deliver coaching, mentoring, and residential visits for the Grammar Stream. Comparable as a regional education provider serving overlapping able-student cohorts in the same county.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SwindonAcademy1
• Facebookfacebook.com/269918463127141
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swindon-academy

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swindon Academy