SchoolScoresIndependent school guide

The Dorcan Academy

Academy · Secondary, ages 11 to 16 · Mixed

Part of THE DORCAN ACADEMY

St Paul's Drive, Covingham, Swindon, SN3 5DA

01793 525231 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 12 July 2022
Grade 5 or above in English and maths45%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils881Room for 1,234
First-choice applications per place1.1187 for 170 places, September 2026

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 12 July 2022.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership and managementGood
SafeguardingEffective

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

163 pupils in this year group.

45% — 2 points above the Swindon average, and about the same as the England average.

MeasureThis schoolSwindonEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 45% 43% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. 44.3 44 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 3.8 3.9 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
20% 30% 40% 50% 60% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2022/23: 30%This school 2023/24: 29%This school 2024/25: 45% This school England 45% 2022/23 30% 2023/24 29% 2024/25 45%

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

132 pupils in this year group.

90% — 2 points below the Swindon average, and 2 points below the England average.

Where pupils went after Year 11
This school 70%
England 34%13%37%
MeasureThis schoolSwindonEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 90% 92% 92%
School sixth form 5% 19% 34%
Sixth form college 7% 19% 13%
Further education college 70% 47% 37%
Apprenticeship 3% 3% 3%
Work 5% 3% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
88%90%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2024/25 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Swindon. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

How hard is it to get in?

For the September 2026 intake there were about one first-choice application for every place.

Places offered170
Families who put it first187
Of those, offered a place167 (89%)
Families who listed it at all318

First-choice applications per place: 2024: 1.0 · 2025: 1.0 · 2026: 1.1

This isn't your chance of getting a place. That depends on the school's admissions rules (for example siblings, distance or faith) and where you live. Source: DfE applications and offers, September 2026 intake.

Admissions dates and schools in Swindon

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolSwindonEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years
 31.8% 25.7%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan
 2.1% 3.6%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support
 22.6% 14.8%* 13.4%
English as an additional language
 10.2% 19.8%* 19.2%
Overall absence (sessions missed)
 9.8% 8.5%* 8.4%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more)
 30.0% 23.7%* 23.4%
Suspensions per 100 pupils
 76.5 34.4 21.2
Pupils suspended at least once
 17.1% 9.4% 7.3%
Pupils permanently excluded5 pupils 0.56% 0.26% 0.23%
Pupils per teacher
 16.8 17.1 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff)
 11.4 11.3 11.8
Teachers who left during the year
 24.3% 13.0%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is The Dorcan Academy's Ofsted rating?

The Dorcan Academy was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 12 July 2022.

How did The Dorcan Academy do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 45% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, about the same as the England average of 45%.

Is The Dorcan Academy oversubscribed?

For the September 2026 intake, 187 families put The Dorcan Academy as their first choice for 170 places: about one first-choice application for every place. 167 of those families were offered a place. Whether you get a place depends on the school's admissions rules and where you live.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.