The Marches School

The Marches School demonstrates an overall good performance across various areas, including the quality of education, behaviour, and leadership. Most students express enjoyment in attending school, supported by respectful relationships with staff and a safe environment. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, aiming to prepare pupils effectively for their future. However, the school faced challenges due to staffing issues, which has affected recent national test results, indicating areas for improvement in curriculum delivery and staff training. Despite the positive aspects, there are concerns regarding communication about bullying incidences and the need for a more comprehensive analysis of support systems. Nevertheless, leaders have a clear focus on personal development and student well-being, with strong involvement from sixth-form students acting as role models in the community.

Strengths

• High expectations of behaviour understood and met by pupils.
• Well-designed and ambitious curriculum supporting student learning.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Strong relationships between staff and students.
• Comprehensive personal development programme emphasizing character development.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements in place.
• High priority given to improving reading skills.
• Staff feel valued and proud to work at the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent implementation of curriculum plans affecting learning.
• Communication regarding bullying incidents not always effective.
• Lack of a whole-school overview on support systems for 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 Marches School attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.4% 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, 5.1% of pupils at The Marches School 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 Marches School had 15.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.8% 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, 14.9% of pupils at The Marches School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.0% 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 2024–25 The Marches School received £7,332 and spent £7,296 for each of its 1,396 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £816,000 (£585 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of Marches Academy Trust, income was £8,021 and spending £7,895 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

The Marches School is part of Marches Academy Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Selattyn CofE Primary School Oswestry
• West Felton Church of England Primary School and Nursery Oswestry
• Kinnerley Church of England Primary School and Nursery Oswestry
• Criftins CofE Primary School and Nursery Ellesmere
• St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery Shrewsbury
• Weston Lullingfields Church of England Primary School and Nursery Shrewsbury
• Cockshutt CofE Primary School and Nursery Ellesmere
• Woodlands School Shrewsbury
• Grange Primary School Shrewsbury
• Shrewsbury Academy Shrewsbury

What is The Marches School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Marches School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was The Marches School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Marches School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does The Marches School have?

The Marches School has 1,346 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Marches School cover?

The Marches School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Marches School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.1, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Marches School?

The Marches School is at Morda Road, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 2AR.