Ercall Wood Academy

Ercall Wood Academy is a friendly, inclusive secondary school where pupils feel safe and happy and relationships are warm. Inspectors found high expectations, a broad and ambitious curriculum, strong subject knowledge, effective SEND and reading support, and clear behaviour systems that have helped reduce suspensions. Personal development, careers guidance and pastoral care are also strengths, and safeguarding is effective. The school is part of the Learning Community Trust; trust leaders, trustees and local governors have an accurate view of the school’s work. Since the previous inspection, when the school was judged to require improvement, leaders have made substantial changes to curriculum planning and implementation. Published examination results do not yet reflect the progress current pupils are making, and outcomes are now improving. However, curriculum implementation is not yet consistently embedded across all subjects and classes, and teachers do not always check understanding or correct misconceptions quickly enough, so pupils do not always build knowledge as securely as they could. Pupils generally behave well and engage positively, but opportunities for sustained, meaningful discussion are limited. Some pupils lack confidence in expressing their ideas orally, which restricts how deeply they can deepen their learning. The report identifies these as the main areas for further improvement.

Strengths

• Friendly and inclusive school culture built around respect, empower and aspire
• Pupils feel safe, happy and well supported by staff
• High expectations of pupils and positive attitudes to learning
• Broad, ambitious curriculum with strong teacher subject knowledge
• Accurate identification and effective support for pupils with SEND
• Effective support for pupils who struggle to read
• Clear behaviour systems used consistently, with little low-level disruption
• Significant reduction in suspensions
• Well-designed personal development and character development programme
• Strong pastoral care and careers guidance
• Trust leaders, trustees and local governors work well with school leaders
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is not consistently embedded across subjects and classes
• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding or intervene quickly enough to correct mistakes
• Pupils have limited opportunities for sustained and meaningful discussion of their learning
• Some pupils lack confidence in expressing their ideas orally, limiting depth of learning
• Published examination results do not yet reflect the progress current pupils are making

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 Ercall Wood Academy attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.6% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Ercall Wood Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Ercall Wood Academy had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.9% 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, 21.8% of pupils at Ercall Wood Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% 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 Ercall Wood Academy received £7,750 and spent £8,236 for each of its 937 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £353,000 (£377 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Learning Community Trust, income was £11,793 and spending £11,570 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 Telford · Telford and Wrekin local authority: places and applications

Ercall Wood Academy is part of Learning Community Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Wrekin View Primary School Telford
• Charlton School Telford
• Hadley Learning Community - Secondary Phase Telford
• Hadley Learning Community - Primary Phase Telford
• Allscott Meads Primary Academy Telford
• Lantern Academy Telford
• New Road Academy Telford
• Queensway Telford
• Crudgington Primary School Telford
• The Burton Borough School Newport

What is Ercall Wood Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ercall Wood Academy is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Ercall Wood Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ercall Wood Academy was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Ercall Wood Academy have?

Ercall Wood Academy has 971 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ercall Wood Academy cover?

Ercall Wood Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Ercall Wood Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.9, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ercall Wood Academy?

Ercall Wood Academy is at Golf Links Lane, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 2DT.