The Bewdley School

The Bewdley School is a welcoming, inclusive secondary school that is performing well overall. Pupils feel safe and supported, behave well in lessons and around the school, and benefit from purposeful teaching and strong pastoral care. The curriculum has been strengthened and is carefully sequenced from Year 7 through the sixth form, and pupils achieve well. Personal development, careers education and the school's focus on reading are notable strengths, with sixth-form students well integrated and well supported. There are some inconsistencies to address. In some lessons, teachers move pupils on before checking that their knowledge is secure, which can leave gaps or mean work is not well matched to pupils' needs. Support for disadvantaged pupils, including some pupils with SEND, is not consistently adapted across the curriculum, particularly for those without an education, health and care plan. Leaders do not always have an accurate view of the impact of their work, which has contributed to uneven experiences for some pupils. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The headteacher was on sabbatical during the inspection, and two co-headteachers were responsible for leading the school. Safeguarding arrangements were found to be effective.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive school focused on pupils
• Pupils feel safe and well supported
• Purposeful lessons and good behaviour in classrooms
• Strong and effective pastoral care
• Ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum across Year 7 to sixth form
• Effective focus on reading, including a well-used reading hub
• Carefully planned personal development provision
• Strong careers education with targeted support for disadvantaged pupils
• Sixth-form students are well integrated and receive high-quality support
• Governors have clear oversight and support strategic change
• Staff appreciate leaders' consideration of workload and well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers sometimes move pupils on before checking their understanding
• Gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always addressed
• Learning is not consistently adapted for disadvantaged pupils, including some with SEND
• Some pupils with SEND without an education, health and care plan do not consistently get the help they need
• Leaders' evaluation of the impact of their work is not always sufficiently accurate
• Inconsistencies have developed in some pupils' experiences

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 Bewdley School attended 91.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.2% 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, 4.5% of pupils at The Bewdley School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were 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 Bewdley School had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.0% 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, 17.2% of pupils at The Bewdley School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.1% 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 Bewdley School received £8,026 and spent £7,898 for each of its 974 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £354,000 (£363 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 Wyre Forest · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

What is The Bewdley School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Bewdley School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was The Bewdley School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Bewdley School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does The Bewdley School have?

The Bewdley School has 970 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Bewdley School cover?

The Bewdley School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Bewdley School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.7, and 41% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Bewdley School?

The Bewdley School is at Stourport Road, Bewdley, Worcestershire, DY12 1BL.