The Marches School

Type Secondary / Academy converter
Age Range 11-18
Religion Does not apply
Address Morda Road
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY11 2AR
Phone 01691664400
Reference Number 136979

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.

General Makeup

Number of pupils 1396
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 50%
Girls: 50%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 20.5%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 13%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 19.5

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
7 130 118 248
8 94 99 193
9 119 125 244
10 130 114 244
11 140 122 262
12 42 65 107
13 43 55 98

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 84.5%
White, Other 8.7%
Mixed, Other 1%
White & Asian 0.8%
African 0.7%
Asian, Other 0.7%
Indian 0.4%
Unclassified 0.4%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.3%
Chinese 0.2%
White & Black (African) 0.2%
Irish 0.1%
Caribbean 0.1%
Pakistani 0.1%

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
 >  Quality of education Good
  >  Behaviour & Attitude Good
  >  Personal Development Good
  >  Leadership & Management Good
  >  Sixth Form Provision Good
Last Report Date 26 Sep 2023
Date Report
26 Sep 2023 School inspection:
06 Mar 2018 Short inspection
10 Dec 2013 Full inspection:
14 Feb 2012 Academy conversion letter
15 Sep 2010 Full inspection:
Previously as The Marches School and Technology College
15 Sep 2010 Full inspection:
01 Nov 2007 Full inspection:
01 Nov 2007 Full inspection:
10 Oct 2006 Curriculum and development visit
10 Oct 2006 Curriculum and development visit
18 Apr 2005 Full inspection
18 Apr 2005 Full inspection

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.

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
43.1

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 38.5%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 59.5%

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

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GCSE Results

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Points

Points Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Average Points 33.67
Average Points (best 3) 33.9

Grades

School Local Nationwide
Average Grade C+ C+ C+
Average Grade (best 3) C+ C+ C+
Percentage Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Students getting AAB or better 8.6%
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2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 39 0
Third Preference 13 0
From another Local Authority 1 0

Previous Years

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Destinations after GCSE's

Staying in Education
 >  Further Education
 >  School Sixth Form
 >  Sixth Form College
 >  Other Education
Apprenticeships
Employment
Not in education or employment
Unknown

Name Distance
Our Lady and St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Upper Brook Street, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 2TG
0.21 miles
Morda CofE Primary School
Morda, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 9NR
0.84 miles
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery
Middleton Road, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 2LF
0.93 miles
Woodside Primary School
Gittin Street, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 1DT
0.96 miles
The Meadows Primary School
Harlech Road, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 2EA
1.28 miles
Trefonen CofE Primary School
School Lane, Trefonen, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 9DY
1.99 miles
Whittington CofE (VA) Primary School
Station Road, Whittington, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 4DA
2.79 miles
Gobowen Primary School
School Lane, Gobowen, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 3LD
3.31 miles
Selattyn CofE Primary School
Glyn Road, Selattyn, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7DH
3.34 miles
Bryn Offa CofE Primary School
Rockwell Lane, Pant, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 9QR
4.36 miles
West Felton Church of England Primary School and Nursery
School Road, West Felton, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 4JR
4.37 miles
Weston Rhyn Primary School
Old Chirk Road, Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7SR
4.42 miles
Ysgol Bro Cynllaith
Llansilin, Salop, SY10 7QD
4.8 miles
Name Distance
Oswestry School
Upper Brook Street, Oswestry, SY11 2TL
0.24 miles
Moreton Hall School
Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, SY11 3EW
4.26 miles
St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)
Moors Bank, St Martins, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7BD
4.85 miles
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