Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Hollie Taylor Headteacher UTC Swindon Bristol Street Swindon Wiltshire SN1 5ET

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Monitoring inspection of a school not in a category of concern of UTC Swindon

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 15 July 2025 on behalf of His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school meets the monitoring threshold as set out in the Monitoring Inspection Handbook .

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Monitoring inspection of a school not in a category of concern of UTC Swindon

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school's key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school's progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school's previous graded inspection.

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Monitoring inspection of a school not in a category of concern of UTC Swindon

During the inspection, I discussed with you, your senior leaders, staff from the multi- academy trust and the chair of governors the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also met a range of staff, reviewed documents, spoke to pupils and visited social times and learning activities. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Main findings

Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes to the school’s leadership, including to the local governing body. New leaders have joined the school or have taken up new roles, including the head teacher, deputy headteacher and pastoral leader who oversees behaviour and attendance. The school has developed a coherent approach to bringing about rapid improvement. It has made links between learning, behaviour and attendance clear for staff and pupils.

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Main findings

Leaders have developed ‘The Swindon Way’ to support pupils to learn well. This sets out a shared approach to teaching and assessment based on educational research. It also makes clear the routines and behaviour that facilitate learning. Leaders have particularly considered how to best support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff have the training that they need to teach the curriculum using ‘The Swindon Way’. As a result, teaching consistently includes a focus on building long term memory and on the identification of gaps in pupils’ knowledge and misconceptions.

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Main findings

Literacy is now a focus across the entire curriculum. Pupils who need extra support to catch up with reading have been identified. The school has trained staff in using phonics to teach reading. However, pupils have not begun to receive the phonics support they need to develop their reading.

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Main findings

The school has identified how it will rectify the areas of weakness found in the previous inspection. There is a coherent approach to improving behaviour and attendance. This includes improvements to the teaching of the curriculum so that pupils learn more effectively. The school has raised its expectations of how pupils behave and the consistency of how staff manage behaviour. Staff and pupils have responded well to these changes. Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly. Behaviour is now conducive to learning. Suspensions have decreased. Fewer pupils are removed from their lessons as a result of poor behaviour. Pupils conduct themselves calmly and sensibly.

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Main findings

The school’s improvement journey is supported by the trust. For instance, the trust has enabled the school to appoint staff with the expertise needed to improve the school. However, the school has not been sufficiently focused on the impact of changes it has made. The school and trust are aware of this. They have developed a new system that will look more closely at the effectiveness of actions they take.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO of the Activate Learning Education Trust, the Department for Education's regional director and the director of children's services for Swindon. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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