Bowbrook Primary School

Bowbrook Primary School is a small, inclusive primary that inspectors judged to be working at a strong standard across all areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils achieve well from their individual starting points, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and the school’s early years provision gives children a strong start, especially in communication, language, reading, writing and mathematics. Behaviour and attendance are strengths, with a calm and purposeful culture, high attendance and persistent absence continuing to reduce. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, teaching is consistently effective, and pupils with SEND receive carefully tailored support, including through the school’s resourced provision, The Cubby. Leadership and governance are clear and ambitious, staff morale is high, and parents describe the school as a hub of the community. Personal development and wellbeing are also strong, with a well-considered programme, effective pastoral support and a wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities. The school is part of The 3-18 Education Trust and runs an on-site nursery and before- and after-school club. It has a well-above-average proportion of pupils with EHC plans and a specially resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs. The main area for continued development is assessment: leaders should strengthen staff’s use of assessment information so that learning opportunities consistently deepen pupils’ knowledge and enable more pupils to excel academically. Overall absence is below the national average, though persistent absence remains above the national average even as it reduces.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well across the curriculum from their individual starting points.
• Early years provision builds secure foundations in communication, language, reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils produce high-standard work, take pride in their achievements and recall prior learning confidently.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are well supported and achieve well alongside their peers.
• Reading fluency is a priority, helping pupils become confident and enthusiastic readers.
• Attendance is high and persistent absence is reducing through effective work with families.
• Behaviour is calm, respectful and purposeful, with disruption to learning rare.
• An ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum builds knowledge and skills securely over time.
• Teaching is consistently effective, with clear explanations and regular checks on understanding.
• SEND provision is carefully tailored, including through the nurturing resourced provision, The Cubby.
• Leaders have created a deeply inclusive culture where pupils are valued and supported.
• Leadership and governance provide clear direction, constructive challenge and strong support.
• Staff benefit from high-quality professional development, and morale is high.
• Personal development and wellbeing are strong, with effective pastoral support and rich enrichment opportunities.
• Parents are highly supportive and describe the school as the hub of the community.

Areas for Improvement

• Staff’s use of assessment information needs further strengthening so that learning opportunities consistently deepen pupils’ knowledge and help more pupils excel academically.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average, although it is reducing.

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 Bowbrook Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.4% 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 Bowbrook 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 Bowbrook Primary School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Bowbrook Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 10 pupils.

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 Bowbrook Primary School received £10,714 and spent £10,345 for each of its 84 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £4,000 (£43 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 Shrewsbury · Shropshire local authority: places and applications

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

• The Priory School Shrewsbury
• Coleham Primary School Shrewsbury
• Clive CofE Primary School Shrewsbury
• The Thomas Adams School Shrewsbury
• William Brookes School Much Wenlock
• Much Wenlock Primary School Much Wenlock
• Hodnet Primary School Market Drayton
• Prees CofE Primary School Whitchurch
• Whixall CofE Primary School Nr Whitchurch
• Lakelands Academy Ellesmere

What is Bowbrook Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bowbrook Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Bowbrook Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bowbrook Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Bowbrook Primary School have?

Bowbrook Primary School has 118 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bowbrook Primary School cover?

Bowbrook Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Bowbrook Primary School?

Bowbrook Primary School is at Squinter Pip Way, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY5 8PY.