Ruskin Junior School, Swindon
Ruskin Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Swindon, part of The Blue Kite Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 36th-highest of the 65 schools in Swindon with published results, and 9,159th of 14,452 across England. It was 84% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Capacity
- 84% full
- Attendance
- In line with England
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Ruskin Junior School in detail
Ruskin Junior School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Below you will find instructions on how to add calendars from different platforms: As Headteacher here at Ruskin, I would like to extend you the warmest of welcomes. Ruskin Junior School is a large, vibrant, and friendly junior school where our core beliefs centre around instilling a love of and a passion for learning ."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics, multi-sports, dance, drama, choir, cooking and book club.
The school runs a breakfast club, from £3.50 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Ruskin Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Swindon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 85% in reading and 72% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Ruskin Junior School
Across Swindon, 96% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Swindon lodged 25 appeals against primary school offers; 19 reached a hearing and 2 succeeded (10.5% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ruskin Junior School are St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Swindon (0.2 miles, Good, 81% reading, 84% maths); Grange Infants' School (0.4 miles, Good); Beechcroft Infant School (0.5 miles); and Beechcroft Infant School (0.5 miles, Good).
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, SwindonGrange Infants' SchoolBeechcroft Infant SchoolBeechcroft Infant School
The trust
Ruskin Junior School is one of 27 schools run by The Blue Kite Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
37.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 10.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Asian (6%).
In 2026, 72 pupils (21.6%) received SEN support and 17 (5.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Ruskin Junior School has a resourced provision for autism: 9 places, 8 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Swindon Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kingsdown Gate (nw-bound), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ruskin Junior School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Ruskin Junior School issued 1 suspension, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Ruskin Junior School are Kingsdown School (0.3 miles) and Swindon Academy (1.3 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
37.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 85% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 73% to 66% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.8
Avg class size
27.8
KS2
12
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Ruskin Junior School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Ruskin Junior School.
- SJR SportsAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Ruskin Junior School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Swindon's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ruskin Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ruskin Junior School is in Swindon; for families living there:
- Swindon's school travel policy: School travel support
- How to apply: Apply for school travel support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 12 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Swindon is 15.5 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
84%
Available places
328 pupils
390 places
62 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Swindon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Swindon
Across Swindon council
Places available
3,059
Applications
2,416
Got 1st preference
95.6%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Swindon council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
72
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
26.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Ruskin Junior School has a resourced provision for autism: 9 places, 8 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
333
Total Pupils
171
Boys
162
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
17.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,076
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,701
Per pupil
£2091k
Total funding
£162k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
13.1%
Persistent absence
335
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Ruskin Junior School
Questions parents ask about Ruskin Junior School
What are SATs results like at Ruskin Junior School?
Of the pupils at Ruskin Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Ruskin Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Ruskin Junior School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2018 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Ruskin Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When Ruskin Junior School is oversubscribed, Swindon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Ruskin Junior School?
Ruskin Junior School was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 390 places.
How big are the classes at Ruskin Junior School?
Classes at Ruskin Junior School average 27.8 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Ruskin Junior School?
Ruskin Junior School has around 333 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Ruskin Junior School have specialist SEN provision?
Ruskin Junior School has a resourced provision for autism: 9 places, 8 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Ruskin Junior School?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Ruskin Junior School in 2024/25. 13.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ruskin Junior School?
Apply through Swindon's coordinated admissions process, naming Ruskin Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Ruskin Junior School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: SJR Sports (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Ruskin Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 12 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Swindon is 15.5 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ruskin Junior School?
Ruskin Junior School is at Wordsworth Drive, Upper Stratton, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 7NG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)