Much Wenlock Primary School

Much Wenlock Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school that has strengthened considerably in recent years. Pupils feel safe, valued and a strong sense of belonging, and staff know pupils and families well. Early years provision is a standout strength: children get off to a flying start, build knowledge and skills very well, and benefit from high-quality interactions, strong phonics teaching and a nurturing environment. Inclusion and personal development are also strong, with bespoke support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and a wide range of enrichment activities that broaden horizons. Pupils behave well, attend broadly in line with national averages, and achieve typically well. By the end of Year 6, attainment is generally close to national averages, and most pupils are well prepared for secondary school. Leadership is clear and ambitious, governance provides effective support and challenge, and staff value the training and consideration of their workload. Safeguarding standards are met. The school is part of The 3-18 Education Trust and is smaller than average, with a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with EHC plans. The main areas for further work are to embed consistently effective teaching so that achievement continues to improve by the time pupils leave, and to keep reducing persistent absenteeism, which remains above the national average. Overall, this is a school with many strengths and a clear capacity to improve further.

Strengths

• Early years curriculum gives children a flying start and fully meets their learning needs.
• Children become confident, self-assured learners with strong early writing, small-muscle and mathematical skills.
• High-quality adult-child interactions and well-trained staff extend children's vocabulary and communication.
• Phonics is delivered consistently well in Reception, leading to impressive early reading fluency.
• Leaders ensure every pupil is known, included and feels a strong sense of belonging.
• Pupils' needs and barriers are identified quickly and accurately, with close partnership with parents and carers.
• Disadvantaged pupils receive individual academic and enrichment support that builds confidence and aspirations.
• The personal development programme is bespoke, coherent and well embedded, including effective nurture provision.
• Pupils demonstrate an impressive understanding of fundamental British values and respect for differences.
• A wide range of enrichment activities, clubs, residential visits, music and drama broaden pupils' horizons.
• Pupils' behaviour is very positive, with clear routines and the 'Wenlock Way' understood and followed.
• Leaders' actions to improve attendance have had a positive impact and persistent absence is reducing.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and carefully ordered, and teachers typically deliver it well.
• Staff benefit from high-quality professional learning, and leaders are mindful of workload and wellbeing.
• Governance and trust oversight provide a suitable balance of support and challenge.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not yet consistently effective across the school, so pupils' achievement should continue to improve by the time they leave.
• Persistent absenteeism remains above the national average, although the rate is reducing.
• Achievement is at the expected standard rather than strong, with attainment by the end of Year 6 generally only close to national averages.

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 Much Wenlock Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Much Wenlock Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Much Wenlock Primary School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 77.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 18.7% of pupils at Much Wenlock Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Much Wenlock Primary School received £6,594 and spent £7,878 for each of its 175 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £77,000 (£442 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of The 3-18 Education Trust, income was £7,598 and spending £7,604 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 Shropshire · Shropshire local authority: places and applications

Much Wenlock Primary School is part of The 3-18 Education Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• William Brookes School Much Wenlock
• John Wilkinson Primary School and Nursery Broseley
• Bridgnorth Endowed School Bridgnorth
• Coleham Primary School Shrewsbury
• The Priory School Shrewsbury
• Bowbrook Primary School Shrewsbury
• Clive CofE Primary School Shrewsbury
• Hodnet Primary School Market Drayton
• The Thomas Adams School Shrewsbury
• Prees CofE Primary School Whitchurch

What is Much Wenlock Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Much Wenlock Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Much Wenlock Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Much Wenlock Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Much Wenlock Primary School have?

Much Wenlock Primary School has 171 pupils on roll.

What age range does Much Wenlock Primary School cover?

Much Wenlock Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Much Wenlock Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Much Wenlock Primary School?

Much Wenlock Primary School is at Racecourse Lane, Much Wenlock, Shropshire, TF13 6JG.