Mary Webb School and Science College

Mary Webb School and Science College is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspection domains. The school offers a supportive and inclusive environment, where pupils feel safe and are motivated to learn. Staff are committed to the well-being of students and provide a rich curriculum that prepares pupils for future opportunities, particularly emphasizing the importance of English and other disciplines. However, the school faces challenges in encouraging a greater number of students to pursue modern foreign languages as part of a broader academic curriculum.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and happy in a supportive school environment.
• High attendance rates among pupils.
• Innovative curriculum preparing pupils for future jobs.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers.
• Effective strategies for checking pupils' progress.
• Clear ambition for SEND pupils to access the same curriculum.
• A high-quality careers programme enriching personal development.

Areas for Improvement

• Too few pupils follow a GCSE in modern foreign languages.
• Some tasks are not adapted sufficiently for a few pupils with SEND.

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 Mary Webb School and Science College attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.3% 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, 6.6% of pupils at Mary Webb School and Science College 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 Mary Webb School and Science College had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.5% 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, 13.4% of pupils at Mary Webb School and Science College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.6% 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 Mary Webb School and Science College received £7,865 and spent £7,662 for each of its 654 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £325,000 (£497 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Trusted Schools Alliance, income was £7,816 and spending £7,358 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 Shrewsbury · Shropshire local authority: places and applications

Mary Webb School and Science College is part of Trusted Schools Alliance, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Meole Brace School Shrewsbury
• Church Stretton School Church Stretton
• Belvidere School Shrewsbury
• Stokesay Primary School Craven Arms
• Castlefields Primary School Bridgnorth
• St Leonard's CofE Primary School Bridgnorth
• Oldbury Wells School Bridgnorth
• Alveley Primary School Bridgnorth

What is Mary Webb School and Science College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mary Webb School and Science College is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Mary Webb School and Science College last inspected by Ofsted?

Mary Webb School and Science College was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Mary Webb School and Science College have?

Mary Webb School and Science College has 632 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mary Webb School and Science College cover?

Mary Webb School and Science College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Mary Webb School and Science College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.1, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Mary Webb School and Science College?

Mary Webb School and Science College is at Pontesbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY5 0TG.