The Community College, Bishop's Castle

The Community College, Bishop’s Castle is maintaining its status as a good school, demonstrating a caring and supportive environment for its pupils. With ambitious leadership and a broad curriculum, students are well-prepared for their future academic paths. The positive culture of mutual respect and understanding enhances pupil well-being, and extra-curricular opportunities are plentiful and enriching. However, while most pupils enjoy a positive learning experience, there are some inconsistencies in assessment practices and behavior management that need addressing to ensure all students achieve their best.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy and achieve well in a happy and caring environment.
• Leaders have high expectations for all pupils and staff.
• A broad and well-organized curriculum supports academic success.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Effective safeguarding culture and practices.
• Positive relationships foster a supportive school atmosphere.
• Engaging extra-curricular activities enhance wider development.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent use of assessment strategies at key stage 3.
• Low-level disruption in a few instances during lessons.
• Insufficient tracking of participation in extra-curricular activities among all pupils.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Community College, Bishop's Castle attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 7.2% of pupils at The Community College, Bishop's Castle were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Community College, Bishop's Castle had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 7.9% of pupils at The Community College, Bishop's Castle were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 The Community College, Bishop's Castle received £8,868 and spent £8,853 for each of its 507 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £373,000 (-£736 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Shropshire · Shropshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Community College, Bishop's Castle's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Community College, Bishop's Castle is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was The Community College, Bishop's Castle last inspected by Ofsted?

The Community College, Bishop's Castle was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does The Community College, Bishop's Castle have?

The Community College, Bishop's Castle has 507 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Community College, Bishop's Castle cover?

The Community College, Bishop's Castle for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Community College, Bishop's Castle's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.5, and 41% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Community College, Bishop's Castle?

The Community College, Bishop's Castle is at Brampton Road, Bishops Castle, Shropshire, SY9 5AY.