School Chooser

Severndale Specialist Academy

Special · ages 2-19MixedAcademy424 pupilsSixth formNurseryShrewsburyShropshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, November 2024
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance89.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families43%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull424 pupils, 375 places
Pupils per teacher6.8School workforce census

Severndale Specialist Academy is a special academy in Shrewsbury for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 424 pupils, 49 more than it has places for. About 43 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Woodcote Way, Monkmoor, Shrewsbury, SY2 5SH01743 563333severndaleacademy.co.ukPrincipal Lucy Lee principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 November 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

31 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score0.8
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.64In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2022/23, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 0.10.120182019: 2.82.820192022: 0.20.220222023: 0.30.320232025: 0.80.82025
Since 2018: +0.7
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018ShropshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11312822321833
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 80.80.30.22.80.143.146.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.64-1.84-1.32-1.47
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%6%0%37%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%6%0%60%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.060.020.020.240.003.764.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%33%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged0.10.00.00.30.2
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged1.40.50.54.50.1
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers0.30.23.20.1

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

24 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 110%
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 score80.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017ShropshireEngland
Pupils tested242936251825
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score80.085.0105.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score94.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score84.092.0104.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score+3.9-0.3+1.5
Maths progressMaths progress score+4.1+0.5+0.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%0%

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.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0.11.4
Gap 1.3England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
1.10.2
Gap 0.9England 3.0

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Shropshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll424Census January 2026
Places375113% full
Pupils from low-income families44%43% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%424 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)41%£196,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls316 / 108
White British pupils87%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment.

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 autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (192), Severe learning difficulty (139), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (33), language and communications needs (22), Moderate learning difficulty (9), emotional and mental health (6).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll424414414413406421
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals44%43%39%37%36%35%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%4%4%4%3%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance89.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school29.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.0%11.1%10.5%11.0%15.1%7.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence9.2%9.6%8.5%9.0%12.6%6.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.9%1.5%2.0%2.0%2.5%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence29.5%30.4%29.2%36.4%49.0%19.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.41.71.20.71.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 22 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%97%100%100%
Education100%97%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

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

Teachers62.4full-time equivalent, 70 people
Pupils per teacher6.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers93%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants150.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,830
Teachers who left in the year15%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher10.82024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£29,518England £30,720. Total £12m
Income per pupil£31,472England £33,526. Total £13m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,680England £11,966
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £596k, £1,435 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£811kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£29,518spent 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 m25712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate73 per 1,000 people20% 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Wilfred Owen Primary SchoolAcademy80 m216No overall grade 202458Compare
The Martin Wilson SchoolAcademy780 m164Requires improvement 2023Compare
Belvidere Primary SchoolCouncil790 m263No overall grade 202542Compare
Shrewsbury Cathedral Catholic Primary School and NurseryAcademy830 m194Not inspected13Compare
Crowmoor Primary SchoolAcademy950 m173Inadequate 20230Compare
Belvidere SchoolAcademy0.7 miles830No overall grade 202513Compare
St Giles CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.8 miles306Good 202326Compare
Tuition, Medical and Behaviour Support ServicePupil referral unit0.8 miles40Good 2023Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Severndale Specialist Academy a good school?

Severndale Specialist Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in November 2024.

What is Severndale Specialist Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Severndale Specialist Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 5 November 2024.

How good are Severndale Specialist Academy's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 0.8, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How good are Severndale Specialist Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% 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.

How many pupils does Severndale Specialist Academy have?

424 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 375 places, so it is 113% full.

What is attendance like at Severndale Specialist Academy?

Pupils were in school 89.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 30% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Severndale Specialist Academy have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Severndale Specialist Academy have a sixth form?

Yes.

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

Contact and details

Address
Woodcote Way, Monkmoor, Shrewsbury, SY2 5SH
Telephone
01743 563333
Website
www.severndaleacademy.co.uk
Principal
Principal Lucy Lee
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Learning Community Trust (13 schools)
Local authority
Shropshire
Ward
Underdale
Constituency
Shrewsbury
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2014 (academy converter)
URN
140531 · LAESTAB 8937016 · UKPRN 10044500
Formerly
Severndale

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from