Smestow Academy
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Smestow Academy is a converter academy in Wolverhampton for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 589 pupils and room for 1,010. About 59 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 73 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 84% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in November 2025 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Windmill Crescent, Wolverhampton, WV3 8HU01902 539500smestowacademy.co.ukMr Ian Chamberlain headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 11 November 2025. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 21 September 2022 | Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 | Inadequate |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
90 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Wolverhampton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 90 | 92 | 134 | 143 | 153 | 159 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 42.6 | 44.3 | 41.6 | 41.9 | 40.0 | 43.3 | 45.6 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.31 | -0.35 | -0.33 | -0.48 | -0.42 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 31% | 44% | 35% | 34% | 28% | 42% | 40% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 60% | 61% | 56% | 55% | 48% | 64% | 62% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.78 | 3.54 | 3.44 | 3.41 | 3.11 | 3.60 | 3.84 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 46% | 11% | 15% | 14% | 5% | 11% | 31% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 41.4 | 34.7 | 38.0 | 37.8 | 32.3 | 33.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 43.9 | 52.3 | 44.5 | 45.1 | 43.7 | 46.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 25.8 | 28.1 | 28.6 | 23.1 | 21.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 64.5 | 61.9 | 60.6 | 56.0 | 54.5 | – | – |
† These results are for Smestow School, the school this one replaced in January 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 15 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Religious Studies (27% here, 60% across England), Geography (25% here, 51% across England), History (35% here, 52% across England), Physics (65% here, 82% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 90 | 9% | 40% | 68% | 53% | 2,454 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 90 | 2% | 43% | 63% | 58% | 2,511 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 90 | 6% | 40% | 53% | 54% | 2,566 of 3,210 |
| Combined Science | 66 | 0% | 30% | 52% | 36% | 1,849 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 59 | 5% | 25% | 34% | 51% | 2,806 of 3,116 |
| French | 34 | 24% | 50% | 65% | 60% | 1,368 of 1,974 |
| History | 29 | 3% | 35% | 55% | 52% | 2,581 of 3,126 |
| Social Studies | 24 | 13% | 42% | 58% | 54% | 758 of 1,043 |
| Physics | 23 | 0% | 65% | 96% | 82% | 2,103 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 23 | 35% | 83% | 96% | 81% | 1,465 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 23 | 17% | 70% | 100% | 82% | 2,013 of 2,570 |
| Religious Studies | 22 | 5% | 27% | 41% | 60% | 1,766 of 1,825 |
| Art and Design | 18 | 28% | 67% | 83% | 58% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 13 | 46% | 54% | 54% | 49% | – |
| Film Studies | 10 | 0% | 20% | 30% | 52% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
17 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Students | 17 | 29 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 26.47 | 22.24 |
| Average A level grade | C- | D+ |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | – | 25.42 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | – | 0% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.01 | -0.02 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 23.40 | 24.23 |
| T levels: points per entry | 25.00 | 24.29 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | – | 100% |
A level subjects
2 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
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.
457 places were empty (45% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
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 (107 offers for 150 places). The furthest away lived 4.3 miles from the school.
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 150 | 41 | 188 | 107 | 4.3 miles | LA |
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 34 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for secondary schools with enough answers to publish.
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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (20), Specific learning difficulty (19), emotional and mental health (18), language and communications needs (7), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 589 | 552 | 614 | 654 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 58% | 53% | 46% | 45% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 38% | 42% | 42% | 40% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 11% | 7% | 5% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.3% | 10.2% | 13.4% | 11.2% | 6.9% | 6.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.8% | 4.4% | 5.3% | 4.6% | 3.4% | 3.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.5% | 5.8% | 8.1% | 6.6% | 3.5% | 2.6% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 26.8% | 33.9% | 39.8% | 37.1% | 22.3% | 16.9% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 31.5 | 51.6 | 50.6 | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 12 | 7 | 4 | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Smestow School, the school this one replaced in January 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Collegiate Academy | Academy | 1.0 miles | 1,329 | No overall grade 2025 | 42 | Compare |
| Highfields School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 1,765 | Report card 2026 | 76 | Compare |
| Perton Middle School | Council | 1.1 miles | 399 | Good 2023 | 79 | Compare |
| St Edmund's Catholic Academy | Academy | 1.2 miles | 1,171 | Not inspected | 76 | Compare |
| St Regis Church of England Academy | Academy | 1.2 miles | 798 | Report card 2026 | 34 | Compare |
| Wolverhampton Girls' High School | Academy (grammar) | 1.4 miles | 1,211 | Outstanding 2023 | 98 | Compare |
| The Royal School, Wolverhampton | Free school | 2.1 miles | 1,488 | Not inspected | 51 | Compare |
| Colton Hills Community School | Council | 2.5 miles | 1,163 | Good 2023 | 29 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Smestow Academy with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 73 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 73% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 64 to 80. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.10 | 2025 and 2024 results; 90 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.03 | Ofsted report card, 0.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.04 | DfE progress measure; 90 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.32 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.02 | 2024/25; 572 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.07 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 90 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 5% | above | +0.05 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 34 responses |
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 Smestow Academy a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Smestow Academy scores 73 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 84% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 64 to 80, 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 Smestow Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 11 November 2025 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.
How good are Smestow Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 31% 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 42.6, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Smestow Academy have?
589 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,010 places, so it is 58% full.
Is Smestow Academy oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 4.3 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 Smestow Academy?
Pupils were in school 91.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 27% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Smestow Academy?
94% of the 34 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 94% say their child is happy there. Across England, 77% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at Smestow Academy?
The average class had 22.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 8% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Smestow Academy have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was C-. 2 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Windmill Crescent, Wolverhampton, WV3 8HU
- Telephone
- 01902 539500
- Website
- www.smestowacademy.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Ian Chamberlain
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Matrix Academy Trust (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Wolverhampton
- Ward
- Tettenhall Wightwick
- Constituency
- Wolverhampton West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2023 (fresh start)
- URN
- 149635 · LAESTAB 3364011 · UKPRN 10091999
- Formerly
- Smestow School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Wolverhampton council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.