Churchward School
Free schools special school in Swindon (Swindon).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Churchward School is a unique special Free School for students aged 11-19 years with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and/or Social Communication Interaction Difficulties (SCID).
History Churchward School was approved by the Department for Education in 2016 with the intention of providing life-changing opportunities for some of the most challenged young people in our community.
With bespoke educational packages and highly specialised staff, Churchward equips students with the skills to enable them to make appropriate life choices, achieve their aspirations, build and maintain social relationships and accomplish excellent outcomes. Why Churchward? The name Churchward School was chosen by our stakeholders including staff, students and Governors.
Churchward School is proud to be a part of the Brunel Academies Trust (Brunel) where it can benefit from shared resources and expertise from other Schools across Swindon. The Brunel Academies Trust was named after the Great Western Railway Engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
2 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Thrive Approach
- Times Tables Rock Stars
Awards
2 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Anti-Bullying CharterRecognised award
- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
Key facts
- URN
- 145874
- Type
- Free schools special
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Local authority
- Swindon
- Constituency
- Swindon North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2018
Governing body (5 current, 4 former)
iAcademy trust: local governing body and trust board.Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Nield | Chair of Local Governing Body | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · until 2028 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Packalew | Local Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Sarah Bennett | Local Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Gareth Bailey | Local Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2026 |
| Khamsin Deller | Local Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Debra Scholes Former | Local Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2026 · term ended 2026 |
| Brian Whittaker Former | Local Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
| Andrew Watson Former | Local Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2024 · term ended 2026 |
| David Dearsley Former | Local Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2018 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record