The Dorcan Academy
St Paul's Drive, Swindon, SN3 5DA
881 pupils · 71% of 1,234 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- THE DORCAN ACADEMY
- Local authority
- Swindon
- Free school meals
- 30.4%
Ofsted
Good (2022) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 12 July 2022, published 8 September 2022. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 44.3 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 44.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 62.6% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 15.3% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.1 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 170 | 187 | 318 | 170 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 170 | 169 | 296 | 170 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 170 | 175 | 307 | 170 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 180 | 167 | 249 | 178 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 172 | 156 | 210 | 162 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 161 | 135 | 222 | 149 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 146 | 135 | 196 | 139 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 153 | 134 | 196 | 142 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Lawn Manor Academy 2.3 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- St Joseph's Catholic College 2.4 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Kingsdown School 4 km · Good (2020) · previous system
- The Commonweal School 4.2 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- UTC Swindon 4.4 km · Requires improvement (2024) · previous system
- The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College 5.5 km · Good (2023) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.