School Chooser

Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil76 pupilsNurseryMarket DraytonShropshire
School Chooser Score
6
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 1 to 31, so it could be “well below”
Out of 100. Better than 6% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance93.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families21%A bit fewer than most schools
Places44 spare76 pupils, 120 places
Pupils per teacher16.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll76Census January 2026

Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery is a council school in Market Drayton for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 76 pupils and room for 120. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 6 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it.

Buntingsdale Park, Tern Hill, Market Drayton, TF9 2HB01630 638370buntingsdale.shropshire.sch.ukMrs Clare Elkes headteacherAll details

Ofsted

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

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 1158%
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 score102.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score101.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 17%17%20172018: 56%56%20182023: 44%44%20232024: 25%25%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: +41%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017ShropshireEngland
Pupils tested1289596
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%25%44%56%17%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%11%0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score102.0101.0105.0104.098.0105.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.099.098.0103.093.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0101.0100.0104.0101.0104.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard75%63%89%67%33%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard58%50%44%78%17%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)75%25%67%78%83%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.0-2.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-4.0-2.1
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged17%

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.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places74 pupils for 90 places, 2024/25
82% full

16 places were empty (18% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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 (8 offers for 15 places).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary158128all 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 roll76Census January 2026
Places12063% full
Pupils from low-income families21%21% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support29%22 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size19.04 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)23%£26,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls39 / 37
White British pupils61%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Moderate learning difficulty (4), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3), language and communications needs (3), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll767780847779
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals21%18%23%26%25%15%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%12%14%11%8%11%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support23%18%18%16%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%0%0%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school20.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils13.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.8%6.2%5.8%6.9%2.6%4.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.5%5.6%5.2%5.9%2.4%4.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%0.6%0.7%0.9%0.3%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence20.3%14.1%16.4%22.7%1.4%18.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate13.017.510.73.90.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers4.5full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher16.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,042
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.02024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£9,272England £7,738. Total £705k
Income per pupil£9,442England £7,697. Total £718k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,170England £3,480
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £35k, £462 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£13kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,272spent 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 m2812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate43 per 1,000 people53% 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
Market Drayton Junior SchoolAcademy1.6 miles333Good 202233Compare
Market Drayton Infant & Nursery SchoolAcademy1.9 miles346Good 202246Compare
Moreton Say CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.0 miles111Good 202387Compare
Stoke-on-Tern Primary SchoolCouncil2.2 miles118No overall grade 202541Compare
Longlands Primary SchoolAcademy2.4 miles201Good 202336Compare
Hodnet Primary SchoolAcademy3.3 miles193Not inspected40Compare
Hinstock Primary SchoolAcademy4.2 miles124Good 20236Compare
Cheswardine Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy4.6 miles54Good 202363Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats6%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 6 is 35 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 41 · highest 94100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 6 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 6% 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 31. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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
-0.13
2025 results; 12 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%well below
-0.29
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.21
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.11
2024/25; 79 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.15
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 Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery a good school?

The figures are weak. Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery scores 6 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 1 to 31, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

How good are Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 58% 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 Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery have?

76 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 120 places, so it is 63% full.

Is Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery oversubscribed?

Probably not. 16 places were empty in 2024/25 (18% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery?

Pupils were in school 93.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 20% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery?

The average class had 19.0 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
Buntingsdale Park, Tern Hill, Market Drayton, TF9 2HB
Telephone
01630 638370
Website
www.buntingsdale.shropshire.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Clare Elkes
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Shropshire
Ward
Cheswardine
Constituency
The Wrekin
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
123397 · LAESTAB 8932101 · UKPRN 10069254

Where these figures come from