School Chooser

Buildwas Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy54 pupilsNurseryShropshire
School Chooser Score
4
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 1 to 12
Out of 100. Better than 11% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, June 2024
Reached the expected level at 1133%England 63%
Attendance93.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families32%A bit more than most schools
Places51 spare54 pupils, 105 places
Pupils per teacher11.6School workforce census

Buildwas Academy is a sponsored academy in Telford for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 54 pupils and room for 105. About 32 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 4 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 11% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.

Buildwas Road, Buildwas, Telford, TF8 7DA01952 387827buildwasacademy.comMrs Laura Sherratt headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 18 June 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

12 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1133%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
2016: 50%50%20162018: 75%75%20182023: 8%8%20232024: 57%57%20242025: 33%33%2025
Since 2016: -17%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182016†ShropshireEngland
Pupils tested12713488
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths33%57%8%75%50%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0107.0101.0109.097.0105.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0102.093.0107.0100.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score100.0102.097.0109.0100.0104.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard58%100%62%88%50%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard58%71%15%88%50%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)33%71%31%75%50%
Reading progressReading progress score-5.0+2.2-2.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-9.8+1.4-0.8

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Buildwas Primary School, the school this one replaced in February 2016. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places69 pupils for 87 places, 2024/25
79% full

18 places were empty (21% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 20% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

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 who applied got a place (6 offers for 15 places).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary155116all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll54Census January 2026
Places10551% full
Pupils from low-income families32%32% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support7%4 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%3 pupils with a plan
Average class size18.03 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)30%£24,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls17 / 37
White British pupils93%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), emotional and mental health (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll547574949593
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals32%13%16%21%16%15%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%2%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%8%17%19%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans8%8%3%2%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school23.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils16.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.3%6.4%10.3%10.5%9.7%4.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.9%5.4%8.2%8.7%7.3%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.0%2.1%1.8%2.4%1.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence23.3%17.9%36.0%37.7%17.1%14.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate16.010.812.81.10.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01000

Staff

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

Teachers4.6full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher11.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants1.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,666
Teachers who left in the year66%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.42024/25

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m2512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate33 per 1,000 people64% lower than the England average
Typical house price£275,000Shropshire

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
Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary AcademyAcademy1.8 milesReport card 2026Compare
Lightmoor Village Primary SchoolCouncil2.3 miles214Good 202269Compare
Christ Church Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.7 miles132Good 2023Compare
William Reynolds Primary School and NurseryAcademy2.8 miles449Outstanding 2023Compare
Woodlands Primary School and NurseryAcademy2.8 milesGood 2023Compare
Broseley CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.9 miles199Good 202314Compare
Captain Webb Primary SchoolCouncil3.1 miles458Good 201949Compare
Barrow 1618 CofE Free SchoolFree school3.1 miles93Good 202377Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Buildwas Academy with the 46 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats11%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 4 is 16 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 20 · highest 97100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 4 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 4% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 1 to 12. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.26
2025 and 2023 results; 12 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.57
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%well below
-0.27
DfE progress measure; 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.30
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.09
2024/25; 60 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.18
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 12 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Buildwas Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Buildwas Academy scores 4 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 11% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 1 to 12, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Buildwas Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Buildwas Academy requires improvement at its last full inspection on 18 June 2024.

How good are Buildwas Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 33% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Buildwas Academy have?

54 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 105 places, so it is 51% full.

Is Buildwas Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 18 places were empty in 2024/25 (21% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Buildwas Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Buildwas Academy?

The average class had 18.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Buildwas Road, Buildwas, Telford, TF8 7DA
Telephone
01952 387827
Website
www.buildwasacademy.com
Headteacher
Mrs Laura Sherratt
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Mighty Oaks Academy Trust Ltd (2 schools)
Local authority
Shropshire
Ward
Severn Valley
Constituency
South Shropshire
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2016 (new provision)
URN
142575 · LAESTAB 8932007 · UKPRN 10055385
Formerly
Buildwas Primary School

Where these figures come from