Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #11 in Shropshire public Top 28% UK

The Marches School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Alison Pearson

corporate_fareMARCHES ACADEMY TRUST

location_onOswestry, SY11 2AR

language Visit Website phone 1691664400

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

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Students

1,459

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Attainment 8

43.1

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GCSE Rank

#12 in Shropshire

#2,072 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Marches School is a Academy converter secondary school in Oswestry, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Marches School is an academy converter in Oswestry, Shropshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of MARCHES ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,396 pupils on roll, of whom 21% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 43.1, placing the school #12 in Shropshire and #2,072 of 3,216 nationally. 38.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 16.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 24 A-level subjects. 45.7% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 14.1% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.11 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 5.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

43.1

Grade 5+ E&M

38.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)16.1%

Entering EBacc52.50%

EBacc APS3.87

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.29

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc62.80%

EBacc APS4.12

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.34

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc59%

EBacc APS3.85

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.72

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc69%

EBacc APS4.36

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc63%

EBacc APS4.24

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc70%

EBacc APS4.17

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)75%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

83%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)76%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.11

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.4%

Achieving A*–A14.1%

Achieving A*–B45.7%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate93.8%

A-level subjects offered24

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.03

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate96.70%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate84.40%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

26 September 2023

Inspection Report

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06 March 2018

Inspection Report

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10 December 2013

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-09-26

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-03-06

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2013-12-10

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2010-09-15

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

5.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.7%(37 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,396 pupils. During this period, there were 72 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 5.2%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,396	72	5.2%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,385	77	5.6%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,382	50	3.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,383	51	3.7%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,387	72	5.2%	8.2%	3
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,449	69	4.8%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,459	44	3.0%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,468	46	3.1%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,438	35	2.4%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,443	26	1.8%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,431	29	2.0%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,464	19	1.3%	3.6%	2
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,460	1	0.1%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,460	16	1.1%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,437	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,437	27	1.9%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,464	77	5.3%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,452	26	1.8%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,458	37	2.5%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,468	48	3.3%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,398	28	2.0%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,408	41	2.9%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,415	52	3.7%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,413	27	1.9%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,417	39	2.8%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,418	31	2.2%	3.1%	2

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 47 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 29 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 23 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 6 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils

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The Marches School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Shropshire

The Priory School

The Corbet School

Sir John Talbot's School

The Lacon Childe School

Church Stretton School

Oldbury Wells School