Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby

Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades Lawrence Sheriff School on 7 areas: 5 strong standard and 2 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils achieve extremely well."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "The school is characterised by high expectations in terms of pupils' attendance and behaviour."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leadership and governance are significant strengths of the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have created a comprehensive and highly effective personal development programme that is embedded throughout daily school life."

Post-16 provision - Strong standard. "The school's post-16 provision is highly effective."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders know pupils well and have developed clear systems and strategies to identify additional needs and barriers to learning."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teachers have a clear understanding of pupils' needs and that this is used to make appropriate adaptations to lessons so that pupils are supported to succeed as well as they can in their learning"; "Leaders should ensure that checks on pupils' understanding are used consistently across subjects to identify and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge swiftly".

In 2026, pupils at Lawrence Sheriff School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 75.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 50 in Warwickshire and 47 across England.

97% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 52% in Warwickshire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 75.1.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.89: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 66.2, against 76.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

Lawrence Sheriff School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 319 families put Lawrence Sheriff School as their first choice and 471 named it as one of their preferences, for 150 places offered. That is 2.1 first choices for every place. 177 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Lawrence Sheriff School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Lawrence Sheriff School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Warwickshire's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Warwickshire has 5 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Lawrence Sheriff School are Harris Church of England Academy (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.8); Rugby Free Secondary School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.5); The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.7); and Ashlawn School (1.4 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 50.2).

Lawrence Sheriff School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Lawrence Sheriff School is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 118 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms.

Of the 203 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 71% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 51% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

9.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 34.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (43%), White British (34%) and Black (6%).

In 2026, 2 pupils (0.2%) received SEN support and 5 (0.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

The nearest railway station is Rugby Rail Station, about 890 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Clifton Road (stand a), 40 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 282 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Warwickshire (88), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Lawrence Sheriff School issued 16 suspensions, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Lawrence Sheriff School are Northlands Primary School (0.4 miles), St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School (0.5 miles), St Marie's Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles) and Oakfield Primary Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.