Wolverley CofE Secondary School
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Wolverley CofE Secondary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Kidderminster for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 964 pupils and room for 1,008. About 29 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 12 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in February 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Blakeshall Lane, Wolverley, Kidderminster, DY11 5XQ01562 859800wolverley.worcs.sch.ukMr Nick Gibson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 10 February 2026. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 November 2021 | S5 Inspection | Good |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
171 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 | Worcestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 171 | 174 | 142 | 139 | 81 | 88 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 42.4 | 41.5 | 45.2 | 44.9 | 44.4 | 46.9 | 44.5 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.41 | -0.02 | -0.11 | -0.05 | -0.02 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 33% | 32% | 49% | 39% | 28% | 42% | 41% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 60% | 56% | 67% | 64% | 59% | 64% | 64% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.87 | 3.75 | 4.23 | 4.14 | 3.94 | 4.22 | 3.93 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 74% | 70% | 70% | 76% | 80% | 83% | 39% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 34.8 | 34.2 | 37.3 | 40.3 | 37.0 | 38.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 44.7 | 43.8 | 47.8 | 46.8 | 46.8 | 49.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 24.7 | 30.0 | 31.5 | 30.5 | 23.1 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 59.4 | 61.3 | 65.1 | 56.7 | 60.5 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 19 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: Music (13% here, 61% across England), Spanish (18% here, 54% across England), Design & Technology (21% here, 50% across England), Business (26% here, 51% 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 | 170 | 10% | 42% | 65% | 53% | 2,336 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 169 | 11% | 43% | 65% | 54% | 2,383 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 167 | 8% | 44% | 71% | 58% | 2,446 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 149 | 2% | 27% | 52% | 36% | 2,126 of 3,084 |
| Spanish | 125 | 1% | 18% | 37% | 54% | 1,871 of 1,941 |
| Geography | 95 | 4% | 31% | 51% | 51% | 2,599 of 3,116 |
| History | 83 | 17% | 47% | 65% | 52% | 1,797 of 3,126 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 41 | 24% | 63% | 76% | 52% | 332 of 1,098 |
| Business | 31 | 3% | 26% | 36% | 51% | 1,580 of 1,806 |
| Art and Design | 30 | 10% | 43% | 47% | 58% | 2,121 of 2,818 |
| Music | 30 | 0% | 13% | 27% | 61% | 380 of 395 |
| Physical Education | 29 | 10% | 52% | 76% | 56% | 909 of 1,559 |
| Design & Technology | 19 | 5% | 21% | 47% | 50% | – |
| Biology | 18 | 33% | 94% | 94% | 82% | – |
| Chemistry | 17 | 18% | 82% | 100% | 81% | – |
| Physics | 17 | 24% | 82% | 94% | 82% | – |
| Computer Science | 16 | 25% | 50% | 56% | 56% | – |
| Drama | 15 | 7% | 47% | 53% | 60% | – |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 11% | 56% | 67% | 60% | – |
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
30 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 30 | 46 | 30 | 24 | 44 | 44 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 18.40 | 25.53 | 27.67 | 22.70 | 25.40 | 30.28 |
| Average A level grade | D | C- | C- | D+ | C- | C |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 22.08 | 28.97 | 34.07 | 24.44 | 24.44 | 38.89 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| A level progressA level value added | -1.17 | -0.26 | – | – | -0.31 | -0.19 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 24.05 | 28.45 | 26.51 | 34.15 | – | – |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 94% | 86% | 75% | – | 100% | 75% |
A level subjects
5 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
Open to all. There is no entrance test. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
About 153 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 11% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
The last child to get a place lived 1.9 miles away in 2026, 1.6 miles away in 2025, 1.9 miles away in 2023. Those cut-offs are for children living outside the catchment area; every child inside it got a place. Brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups are placed first. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
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. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 1.9 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 180 | 1.9 miles | LA |
| 2025 Secondary | 180 | 1.6 miles | LA |
| 2024 Secondary | 180 | – all offered | LA |
| 2023 Secondary | 180 | 1.9 miles (distance, outside the catchment area) | LA |
| 2022 Secondary | 180 | 2.4 miles (distance, outside the catchment area) | LA |
| 2021 Secondary | 180 | 3.2 miles (distance, outside the catchment area) | LA |
| 2020 Secondary | 150 | 2.7 miles | 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.
What a home within 1.8 miles of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 125 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: emotional and mental health (53), Specific learning difficulty (33), Autistic spectrum disorder (32), language and communications needs (22), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (6), Moderate learning difficulty (5).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 964 | 960 | 948 | 920 | 871 | 814 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 28% | 26% | 23% | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 2% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 14% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.2% 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 | 9.8% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.9% | 5.4% | 6.0% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.7% | 6.1% | 6.0% | 6.8% | 3.1% | 4.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 1.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 28.2% | 27.7% | 27.8% | 34.6% | 13.7% | 16.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 13.1 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 7.5 | 6.4 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 142 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 92%, compared with 97% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 96% | 90% | 93% | 95% |
| Education | 84% | 81% | 83% | 85% |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 7% | 5% | 7% |
| Work | 3% | 2% | 5% | 3% |
| Not in education, work or training | 4% | 4% | 5% | 5% |
After sixth form
Where the 27 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 83%, compared with 86% for everyone else.
Where the ones heading for university went
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 85% | 70% | 70% | – |
| Education | 37% | 52% | 50% | – |
| Apprenticeship | 19% | 9% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 30% | 9% | 20% | – |
| Not in education, work or training | 7% | 22% | 30% | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Trinity School | Free school | 1.9 miles | 723 | Good 2022 | 37 | Compare |
| Baxter College | Academy | 2.1 miles | 766 | No overall grade 2025 | 10 | Compare |
| King Charles I School | Academy | 2.5 miles | 1,140 | Good 2023 | 33 | Compare |
| Kinver High School and Sixth Form | Academy | 2.7 miles | 801 | Good 2021 | 59 | Compare |
| The Bewdley School | Foundation | 3.8 miles | 970 | No overall grade 2024 | 45 | Compare |
| Ridgewood High School | Academy | 4.4 miles | 641 | Good 2023 | 54 | Compare |
| Hagley Catholic High School | Academy | 4.4 miles | 1,088 | Good 2019 | 73 | Compare |
| Haybridge High School and Sixth Form | Academy | 4.5 miles | 1,226 | Good 2022 | 88 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Wolverley CofE Secondary School 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.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Wolverley CofE Secondary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Charles I School | Academy | 2.5 miles | 1,140 | Good 2023 | 33 | Compare |
| Redhill School | Academy | 5.5 miles | 1,204 | Good 2024 | 69 | Compare |
| North Bromsgrove High School | Academy | 10.1 miles | 1,140 | Good 2023 | 47 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 12 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 12% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 8 to 17. 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 | -0.08 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 171 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.47 | Ofsted report card, 0.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.14 | DfE progress measure; 171 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.06 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.03 | 2024/25; 907 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.04 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 171 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | above | +0.03 | 142 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | in line | -0.02 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 125 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 Wolverley CofE Secondary School a good school?
The figures are weak. Wolverley CofE Secondary School scores 12 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 8 to 17, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Wolverley CofE Secondary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 10 February 2026 it rated teaching as needs attention, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as needs attention, leadership as needs attention.
How good are Wolverley CofE Secondary School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 33% 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 42.4, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Wolverley CofE Secondary School have?
964 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,008 places, so it is 96% full.
Is Wolverley CofE Secondary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 1.9 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 Wolverley CofE Secondary School?
Pupils were in school 90.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 28% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Wolverley CofE Secondary School?
74% of the 125 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 71% say their child is happy there. Across England, 77% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at Wolverley CofE Secondary School?
The average class had 21.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 4% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Wolverley CofE Secondary School have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was D. 5 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
- Blakeshall Lane, Wolverley, Kidderminster, DY11 5XQ
- Telephone
- 01562 859800
- Website
- www.wolverley.worcs.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Nick Gibson
- Type of school
- Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Worcester
- Local authority
- Worcestershire
- Ward
- Wyre Forest Rural
- Constituency
- Wyre Forest
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2007 (change religious character)
- URN
- 135061 · LAESTAB 8854503 · UKPRN 10018999
- Formerly
- Wolverley High School, Kidderminster, Sion Hill Middle 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, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Worcestershire council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- 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.