School Chooser

St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)

All-through · ages 3-16MixedAcademy703 pupilsNurseryOswestryShropshire
School Chooser Score · secondary phase
21
Below
similar schools
Likely range 15 to 31
Out of 100. Better than 24% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
Primary phase: 6, well below similar schools
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2023
Strong pass in English and maths26%England 46%
Attendance90.2%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families22%A bit fewer than most schools
PlacesFull703 pupils, 660 places
Pupils per teacher17.9School workforce census

St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) is a sponsored academy in Oswestry for boys and girls aged 3 to 16. It has 703 pupils, 43 more than it has places for. About 22 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 21 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 24% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Moors Bank, St Martins, Oswestry, SY10 7BD01691 776500stmartins3-16.orgMrs Alison Pope headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 24 January 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score36.4
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths26%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths47%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-0.52In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, 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: 40.340.320182019: 39.939.920192022: 35.935.920222023: 35.235.220232024: 38.538.520242025: 36.436.42025
Since 2018: -3.9Steady overall
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018ShropshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11867782756353
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 836.438.535.235.939.940.343.146.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-0.52-0.99-1.07-0.23-0.34
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths26%25%23%35%27%30%37%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths47%52%44%55%44%43%60%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score3.393.482.642.783.273.123.764.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry62%68%17%48%44%25%33%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged26.034.633.331.433.631.9
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged40.740.235.938.143.542.6
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers29.017.027.022.8
Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers51.451.949.459.454.4

Subjects

Results came out for 12 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.

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (21% here, 58% across England), Design & Technology (13% here, 50% across England), English Literature (36% here, 58% across England), Mathematics (33% here, 53% across England).

What is taught hereOffers 2 languages.

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics80 entries · 18th of 20 in Shropshire
33%England 53%
English Literature80 entries · 19th of 20 in Shropshire
36%England 58%
English Language80 entries · 10th of 20 in Shropshire
48%England 54%
Combined Science79 entries · 13th of 20 in Shropshire
27%England 36%
History47 entries · 9th of 20 in Shropshire
49%England 52%
Spanish42 entries · 8th of 10 in Shropshire
36%England 54%
Art and Design24 entries · 19th of 19 in Shropshire
21%England 58%
French20 entries · 9th of 11 in Shropshire
40%England 60%
Geography19 entries
42%England 51%
13%England 50%
46%England 52%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics806%33%58%53%2,875 of 3,211
English Literature805%36%54%58%2,876 of 3,202
English Language808%48%63%54%1,991 of 3,210
Combined Science7910%27%42%36%2,139 of 3,084
History4717%49%62%52%1,690 of 3,126
Spanish425%36%50%54%1,582 of 1,941
Art and Design2413%21%29%58%2,685 of 2,818
French2015%40%60%60%1,628 of 1,974
Geography1932%42%58%51%
Design & Technology150%13%27%50%
Food Preparation & Nutrition110%46%82%52%
Social Studies70%29%43%54%

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.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1142%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score101.0
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
2017 to 2025
2017: 53%53%20172018: 58%58%20182019: 37%37%20192023: 53%53%20232024: 44%44%20242025: 42%42%2025
Since 2017: -11%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017ShropshireEngland
Pupils tested313230303134
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths42%44%53%37%58%53%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%0%0%0%6%0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score101.0103.0104.0100.0102.0100.0105.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0100.0104.0101.0103.0102.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score100.0100.0103.0100.0101.099.0104.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard71%59%73%57%68%62%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard58%53%70%53%68%76%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)71%63%67%50%71%56%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.6-6.9-1.8-2.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.6-6.5-0.4-0.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged40%60%22%22%60%42%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged43%36%67%43%57%59%

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. 3 of the 6 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

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
26.040.7
Gap 14.7England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
16%30%
Gap 14 ptsEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
32.639.3
Gap 6.7England 3.0

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
40%43%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
33%45%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 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.

Full687 pupils for 660 places, 2024/25
104% full

The school is full, with 27 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 11% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

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 (21 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary30213821all offeredLA
2026 Secondary6066164602.4 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2025 Secondary6060132625.6 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2024 Secondary6076150602.3 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

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 roll703Census January 2026
Places660107% full
Pupils from low-income families22%22% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%148 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%14 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.729 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils7%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)22%£178,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls333 / 370
White British pupils89%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.7 pupils (England 26.2); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 23.6 (England 28.2).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (46), emotional and mental health (30), Specific learning difficulty (30), language and communications needs (24), Autistic spectrum disorder (14), Moderate learning difficulty (11).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll703723710682674623
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals22%22%21%21%20%21%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%2%2%2%2%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%18%20%14%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%2%2%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance90.2%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school26.0%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils19.22024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission4.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence9.8%9.8%10.2%11.8%6.4%7.2%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.8%6.3%6.8%8.0%4.0%5.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence4.0%3.5%3.4%3.8%2.3%2.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence26.0%31.3%32.3%41.6%19.8%24.6%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate19.216.217.614.713.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions11120

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 82 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training66%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 76%, compared with 62% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training66%55%61%65%
Education30%32%33%53%
Apprenticeship4%0%9%2%
Work32%23%19%10%
Not in education, work or training17%27%18%18%

Staff and money

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

Teachers39.2full-time equivalent, 43 people
Pupils per teacher17.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants16.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,209
Teachers who left in the year15%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.72024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£6,456England £7,965. Total £4.7m
Income per pupil£6,895England £8,423. Total £5.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,811England £4,444
Money in reserve1%Very little put by: £62k, £86 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out+£317kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,456spent 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 m2712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate53 per 1,000 people42% 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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
OneSchool Global Oswestry CampusIndependent0.7 milesNot inspectedCompare
Moreton Hall SchoolIndependent1.3 miles333Not inspectedCompare
Gobowen Primary SchoolCouncil1.6 miles224Good 202480Compare
Weston Rhyn Primary SchoolCouncil1.6 miles191Good 202324Compare
Ysgol y WaunCouncil1.9 miles320Estyn, no gradeCompare
Derwen CollegeSpecial post 16 institution2.1 milesNot inspectedCompare
Pentre Church in Wales Controlled Primary SchoolChurch in Wales3.2 miles47Estyn, no gradeCompare
Criftins CofE Primary School and NurseryAcademy3.2 miles96Outstanding 2022Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) with the 50 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 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats24%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 21 is 20 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 7 · middle 41 · highest 79100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 21 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 21% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 15 to 31. 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 years20%below
-0.18
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 86 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.17
DfE progress measure; 86 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.03
2024/25; 680 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.10
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 86 pupils
What pupils do next5%well below
-0.10
82 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 St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) a good school?

The figures are weak. St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) scores 21 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 24% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 15 to 31, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)'s Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) good at its last full inspection on 24 January 2023.

How good are St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)'s GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 26% 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 36.4, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How good are St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)'s SATs results?

In summer 2025, 42% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) have?

703 pupils aged 3 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 660 places, so it is 107% full.

Is St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 27 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)?

Pupils were in school 90.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)?

The average class had 23.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 7% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 66% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.

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

Contact and details

Address
Moors Bank, St Martins, Oswestry, SY10 7BD
Telephone
01691 776500
Website
stmartins3-16.org
Headteacher
Mrs Alison Pope
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
All-through school, ages 3-16, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The 3-18 Education Trust (14 schools)
Local authority
Shropshire
Ward
St Martin's
Constituency
North Shropshire
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2016 (new provision)
URN
143142 · LAESTAB 8934002 · UKPRN 10057548
Formerly
St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from