OFSTED
13 December 2023
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership & management
Outstanding
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Shropshire
Trust
MARCHES ACADEMY TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
861
861 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
414
48.1% of pupils
Male pupils
447
51.9% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
3.9 pts
below England
School
20.9%
Shropshire
17.3%
West Midlands
30.6%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
13.4 pts
below England
School
6.9%
Shropshire
5.4%
West Midlands
22.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.2 pts
above England
School
1.2%
Shropshire
0.4%
West Midlands
0.6%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
84.8%
730
Any other White background
4.4%
38
Unclassified
2.3%
20
Indian
2.0%
17
White and Asian
1.0%
9
White and Black African
1.0%
9
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
17.2%
148 of
861 pupils
3.6 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
3.5 pts
below
England
6.0%
0.1 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
46.8
7.6 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.18 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
7.96%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.74 pts
higher than
England
School
7.96%
Shropshire
5.92%
West Midlands
6.28%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
22.55%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
6.73 pts
higher than
England
School
22.55%
Shropshire
14.62%
West Midlands
16.42%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
3.15%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.35 pts
higher than
England
School
3.15%
Shropshire
1.38%
West Midlands
1.82%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
108.8%
16.5 pts
above England
Sir John Talbot's School
108.8%
Shropshire
92.9%
West Midlands
94.1%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.