The Croft Primary School, Swindon
The Croft Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Swindon, part of The White Horse Federation. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 11th-highest of the 65 schools in Swindon with published results, and 3,408th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.6 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- 1.6 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Swindon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Croft Primary School in detail
The Croft Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, karate, dance, choir, ukulele and guitar.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at The Croft Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Swindon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 92% in reading and 92% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at The Croft Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 93 families put The Croft Primary School as their first choice and 236 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 33 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Croft Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Croft Primary School are Lethbridge Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 90% reading, 88% maths); King William Street Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 68% reading, 68% maths); Lawn Primary and Nursery School (0.6 miles); and Lawn Primary and Nursery School (0.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 78% maths).
The Croft Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Lethbridge Primary SchoolKing William Street Church of England Primary SchoolLawn Primary and Nursery SchoolLawn Primary and Nursery School
The trust
The Croft Primary School is one of 30 schools run by The White Horse Federation, 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.
What parents say
106 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Croft Primary School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 61% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (61%).
Who goes there
5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 65 pupils (15.6%) received SEN support and 10 (2.4%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Swindon Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Margaret's Road (s-bound), 220 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Croft Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 267 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Swindon (132), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
The Croft Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Croft Primary School are The Commonweal School (0.5 miles), Lawn Manor Academy (0.8 miles), UTC Swindon (1.3 miles) and The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College (1.3 miles).
The Commonweal SchoolLawn Manor AcademyUTC SwindonThe Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils thrive at The Croft Primary School. They talk proudly to visitors about their learning and recommend the school wholeheartedly. The 'Croftie' values lie at the heart of the school. Pupils strive every day to embody these and 'be a Croftie'. They feel safe because of the excellent relationships they build with their peers and the adults in school.
Staff care deeply for all pupils. Staff give pupils every chance to succeed and to shine. The school has extremely high expectations of pupils. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve exceptionally well. As a result, they are exceedingly well prepared for the next stage of their learning.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Pupils follow a rich and ambitious curriculum. This exceeds the breadth and depth of what is expected nationally. Starting in the early years, the school has expertly and meticulously crafted the curriculum. Essential building blocks of learning are clearly identified. These are subsequently broken down into manageable steps. This enables pupils to build on their prior learning very effectively.
Pupils with SEND experience the same curriculum as their peers. Staff skilfully adapt their teaching to meet pupils' needs. This ensures that these pupils can learn the curriculum and achieve exceptionally well. Teachers regularly check pupils' understanding. This allows staff to address any gaps or misconceptions. No pupil is left behind in their learning. Consequently, all pupils achieve highly across the curriculum. Provisional outcomes from 2024 show that pupils attain significantly above national averages. The high-quality work that pupils complete in school reflects this. Pupils talk about their learning with interest, enthusiasm and pride.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its June 2014 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
5.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
106 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 92% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 92% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 92% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.8
Avg class size
29.8
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from The Croft Primary School
TWHF gifts educational book bag to new reception pupils
27 Jul 2026
TWHF Primary Sporting Excellence 2026
16 Jul 2026
A Proactive Approach to Allergy Management
30 Jun 2026
Changes to Free School Meals Guidance
12 Jun 2026
Our Schools celebrate Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday
8 May 2026
TWHF Shortlisted for Two Awards at ‘The Oscars of Education’
8 May 2026
From The Croft Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with The Croft Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Croft Primary School.
- Revolution Performing Arts - The Croft PrimaryAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
The Croft Primary 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 The Croft Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Croft Primary 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
- 22
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 18 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
4 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
Your chances of a place at The Croft Primary School
Will you get a place at The Croft Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Croft Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Croft Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Croft Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Swindon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Croft Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Swindon got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
420 pupils
420 places
No 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.
This school: 1.6 first choices per place
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
65
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
17.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
418
Total Pupils
215
Boys
203
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
19.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,623
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2223k
Total funding
£32k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.7%
Overall absence
5.9%
Persistent absence
370
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
Questions parents ask about The Croft Primary School
What are SATs results like at The Croft Primary School?
Of the pupils at The Croft Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 87% did so in maths.
What is The Croft Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The Croft Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for The Croft Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When The Croft Primary 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 The Croft Primary School?
The Croft Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at The Croft Primary School?
Classes at The Croft Primary School average 29.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Croft Primary School?
The Croft Primary School has around 418 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Croft Primary School?
3.7% of sessions were missed at The Croft Primary School in 2024/25. 5.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Croft Primary School?
Apply through Swindon's coordinated admissions process, naming The Croft Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does The Croft Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Revolution Performing Arts - The Croft Primary (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 The Croft Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 18 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 4 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 The Croft Primary School?
The Croft Primary School is at Marlborough Lane, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 1RA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)