School Chooser

Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School

Primary · ages 2-7MixedAcademy346 pupilsNurseryMarket DraytonShropshire
School Chooser Score
46
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 21 to 72, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 46% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, September 2022
Attendance95.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
PlacesFull346 pupils, 270 places
Pupils per teacher27.9School workforce census
Pupils on roll346Census January 2026

Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School is a converter academy in Market Drayton for boys and girls aged 2 to 7. It has 346 pupils, 76 more than it has places for. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 46 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 46% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Longslow Road, Market Drayton, TF9 3BA01630 652909marketdraytoninfants.co.ukMrs Emma Morris headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 15 September 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

A few spare places245 pupils for 270 places, 2024/25
91% full

About 25 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 8% 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 (56 offers for 90 places).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary90538256all 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 roll346Census January 2026
Places270128% full
Pupils from low-income families20%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%46 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%17 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.711 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)20%£79,050 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls176 / 170
White British pupils88%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (24), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (22), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), emotional and mental health (5), Hearing impairment (1), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll346356342374397431
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals20%23%22%27%26%29%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%5%7%6%6%7%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%10%11%11%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%4%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school9.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.9%4.8%5.5%5.9%2.5%3.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%3.8%4.6%5.1%1.9%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.0%0.9%0.8%0.5%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence9.2%11.5%17.3%15.2%2.7%6.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.30.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers12.4full-time equivalent, 14 people
Pupils per teacher27.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants23.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,972
Teachers who left in the year18%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher10.62024/25

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£6,333England £7,128. Total £2.0m
Income per pupil£7,126England £7,587. Total £2.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,274England £3,405
Money in reserve20%A healthy amount put by: £445k, £1,398 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£252kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,333spent 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 m38112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate71 per 1,000 people22% 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 SchoolAcademy490 m333Good 202233Compare
Longlands Primary SchoolAcademy890 m201Good 202336Compare
Buntingsdale Primary School and NurseryCouncil1.9 miles76Not inspected6Compare
Moreton Say CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.6 miles111Good 202387Compare
Norton-in-Hales CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.1 miles75Good 202226Compare
Stoke-on-Tern Primary SchoolCouncil3.7 miles118No overall grade 202541Compare
St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy3.8 miles50Good 201970Compare
Adderley CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.9 miles46Outstanding 202498Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School 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.

Beats46%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 46 is 6 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 52 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 46 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 46% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 72. 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 years0%no data
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 4.0 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.18
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.10
2024/25; 164 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
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 Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School a good school?

It is about average. Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School scores 46 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 46% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 72, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School good at its last full inspection on 15 September 2022.

How many pupils does Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School have?

346 pupils aged 2 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 270 places, so it is 128% full.

Is Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 25 places were empty in 2024/25 (9% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 95.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 9% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School?

The average class had 25.7 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
Longslow Road, Market Drayton, TF9 3BA
Telephone
01630 652909
Website
www.marketdraytoninfants.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Emma Morris
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Empower Trust (8 schools)
Local authority
Shropshire
Ward
Market Drayton North
Constituency
North Shropshire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 June 2018 (academy converter)
URN
145792 · LAESTAB 8932070 · UKPRN 10067755
Formerly
Market Drayton Infant School

Where these figures come from