Idsall School

Idsall School is a rapidly improving 11–18 secondary school and sixth form that has moved out of special measures following a previous inadequate judgment. Leaders have steered the school through a challenging period and have taken sustainable steps in the right order, with behaviour, personal development and safeguarding now showing notable strength. Pupils and sixth-form students are happy, feel safe, and benefit from positive relationships with staff who know them and their families well. The curriculum has been revitalised and is ambitious and well sequenced across subjects, and reading support is helping pupils who have gaps to catch up. However, the quality of education remains uneven: teaching does not consistently deliver the intended knowledge, activities sometimes lack ambition, and checks on learning do not always identify misconceptions. Pupils with SEND are now better understood, but teachers do not routinely use this information to adapt lessons, so some pupils struggle to access learning and fall behind. Behaviour has improved considerably, although poor behaviour is occasionally left unchallenged and can disrupt learning. Personal development is a growing strength, with pupils taking on social and moral responsibilities and accessing a broad range of opportunities, including helpful careers information. The school is part of the Marches Academy Trust and includes a small sixth form. The main priorities are to ensure all staff consistently use SEND information, check learning carefully, provide challenging work, and apply the behaviour approach consistently.

Strengths

• Pupils and sixth-form students are happy and feel safe
• Staff build strong relationships with pupils and their families
• Behaviour has improved considerably and lessons are generally calm
• Pupils increasingly show kindness, integrity and empathy
• Curriculum is ambitious and knowledge is well sequenced across subjects
• Reading gaps are identified quickly and effective support helps pupils catch up
• Personal development is a growing strength with broad opportunities
• Pupils are empowered to share concerns about sexual harassment and racism
• SEND approach has been refreshed with strong partnership working
• Sixth-form students with SEND are well supported
• Leadership has secured sustainable improvement through a challenging period
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Sixth-form students mentor younger pupils and receive helpful careers information

Areas for Improvement

• Quality of education requires improvement because curriculum delivery is inconsistent
• Teachers do not consistently use SEND information to adapt teaching
• Some pupils with SEND struggle to access learning and fall behind
• Teachers do not always check learning carefully or identify misconceptions
• Activities sometimes lack ambition and do not build intended knowledge
• Pupils' best work is not always challenged when standards slip
• Poor behaviour is occasionally unchallenged and disrupts learning
• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should

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 Idsall School attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.9% 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, 10.4% of pupils at Idsall 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 Idsall School had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.1% 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, 12.0% of pupils at Idsall 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 Idsall School received £7,675 and spent £7,490 for each of its 1,171 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,421,000 (£1,213 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 Shifnal · Shropshire local authority: places and applications

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

• Shrewsbury Academy Shrewsbury
• Grange Primary School Shrewsbury
• The Grove School Market Drayton
• Longlands Primary School Market Drayton
• Oakmeadow Church of England Primary and Nursery School Shrewsbury
• Woodlands School Shrewsbury
• Lower Heath CofE Primary School Whitchurch
• Tilstock CofE Primary and Nursery Whitchurch
• Weston Lullingfields Church of England Primary School and Nursery Shrewsbury
• Sir John Talbot's School Whitchurch

What is Idsall School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Idsall School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Idsall School last inspected by Ofsted?

Idsall School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Idsall School have?

Idsall School has 1,172 pupils on roll.

What age range does Idsall School cover?

Idsall School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Idsall School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.9, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Idsall School?

Idsall School is at Coppice Green Lane, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 8PD.