School Chooser

Bowbrook Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedFree school118 pupilsNurseryShrewsburyShropshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
Attendance95.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families11%Far fewer than most schools
Places118 spare118 pupils, 236 places
Pupils per teacher21.5School workforce census
Pupils on roll118Census January 2026

Bowbrook Primary School is a free school in Shrewsbury for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 118 pupils and room for 236. About 11 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England.

Squinter Pip Way, Shrewsbury, SY5 8PYbowbrookprimary.co.ukMr Sam Aiston headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

Plenty of spare places61 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
29% full

149 places were empty (71% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 0.9 miles away in 2026. Those cut-offs are for children living outside the catchment area; every child inside it got a place. Brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups are placed first. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child in the catchment area who applied got a place. Outside the catchment, the last place went to a child living 0.9 miles away.

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3034121300.9 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA

What a home within 0.9 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 0.9 miles of the school£328,000half sold for £230k to £434k
Homes sold391December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+19%a typical home in the district sells for £275,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll118Census January 2026
Places23650% full
Pupils from low-income families10%11% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%15 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan12%14 pupils with a plan
Average class size31.33 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils67%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)13%£18,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls59 / 59
White British pupils86%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) and SEN unit with 9 pupils and a SEN unit with 9 pupils, for speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Shropshire with speech, language and communication provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (12), emotional and mental health (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), Specific learning difficulty (2), Multi-sensory impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024
Pupils on roll1188736
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals10%10%8%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%7%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans9%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions0

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers5.3full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher21.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,019
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.62024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£9,917England £7,128. Total £833k
Income per pupil£10,595England £7,587. Total £890k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,976England £3,405
Money in reserve0%Very little put by: £3,624, £43 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£57kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,917spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m4812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate52 per 1,000 people43% lower than the England average
Typical house price£275,000Shropshire
Nearest bus stop520 mWenlock Edge House, 0 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Oxon CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.8 miles425Outstanding 202393Compare
Radbrook Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles312Not inspected18Compare
Woodfield Infant School & NurseryAcademy0.9 miles283No overall grade 202596Compare
St George's Junior SchoolAcademy0.9 miles354Good 202364Compare
Meole Brace Church of England Primary School and NurseryAcademy1.5 miles461Good 2019Compare
Coleham Primary SchoolAcademy1.9 miles431Outstanding 202495Compare
Bicton Church of England Primary School and NurseryAcademy2.1 miles127Requires improvement 20211Compare
Oakmeadow Church of England Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy2.1 miles472Not inspected24Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Bowbrook Primary School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Bowbrook Primary School yet.

How many pupils does Bowbrook Primary School have?

118 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 236 places, so it is 50% full.

Is Bowbrook Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 0.9 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Bowbrook Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Bowbrook Primary School?

The average class had 31.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 67% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Bowbrook Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) and sen unit for speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Squinter Pip Way, Shrewsbury, SY5 8PY
Website
bowbrookprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Sam Aiston
Type of school
Free school (Free schools, free schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
The 3-18 Education Trust (14 schools)
Local authority
Shropshire
Ward
Radbrook
Constituency
Shrewsbury
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2023 (academy free school)
URN
149757 · LAESTAB 8932013 · UKPRN 10093042

Where these figures come from