Sir John Talbot's School

Academy sponsor led·Secondary school Whitchurch, Shropshire·SY13 2BY
Composite score
58.5
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#1,382
National rank
#124
In West Midlands
#3
In Shropshire
Top 44%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
46.8
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
48%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
70%
% EBacc grade 5+
12%
EBacc average points score
4.05

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Good

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
100%
129 first choices, 141 places
First choices per place
0.92
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
236
any preference, for 141 places
Applications from another council area
2%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.06
00.511.5
1 per place
0.9920220.9820230.9620240.9720250.922026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Every child who put Sir John Talbot's School first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–19
Pupils on roll
873
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
21.7%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
6.6%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
8.8%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
5.6%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
8.4%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
22.8%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
15.6
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,110
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
92%
130 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
85%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
2%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

About Sir John Talbot's School

Sir John Talbot's School is a secondary school in Whitchurch, Shropshire, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. Around 873 pupils aged 11 to 19 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 46.8, broadly in line with the national average of 46. That is down 0.9 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 44% of secondary schools nationally.

48% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, in line with the national average of about 45%. 70% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Sir John Talbot's School was not oversubscribed for September 2026: all 129 families who put it first were offered a place. After Year 11, 92% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 8.4%. There are about 15.6 pupils per teacher. Given the recent dip in results, it may be worth asking the school what is behind the change and what is being done in response. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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