Mercia School, Sheffield
Mercia School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Sheffield, part of Mercia Learning Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the highest of the 35 schools in Sheffield with published results, and 128th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 87% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- 2 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Sheffield (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Mercia School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Mercia School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 66.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Sheffield and 47 across England.
79% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Sheffield and 47% in England.
That is down from 68.1 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 2.09: 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 56.6, against 69.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were French, History and Combined Science.
Getting a place at Mercia School
For September 2026 entry, 385 families put Mercia School as their first choice and 1060 named it as one of their preferences, for 194 places offered. That is 2 first choices for every place. 198 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Mercia School are High Storrs School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 59.7); Silverdale School (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 61.3); Newfield Secondary School (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.8); and Notre Dame High School (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 58.8).
Mercia School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
High Storrs SchoolSilverdale SchoolNewfield Secondary SchoolNotre Dame High School
The trust
Mercia School is one of 8 schools run by Mercia Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 56.9 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 118 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 95% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 9% to a further education college.
Who goes there
31.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (41%), White British (33%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 133 pupils (12.4%) received SEN support and 21 (2%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.
Staffing
Mercia School had 80 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Dore & Totley Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Carter Knowle Road/Montrose Road (adjacent), 100 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Mercia School issued 69 suspensions, 6.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Mercia School are Carter Knowle Junior School (0.2 miles), Holt House Infant School (0.2 miles), St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles) and Dobcroft Nursery Infant School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Carter Knowle Junior SchoolHolt House Infant SchoolSt Wilfrid's Catholic Primary SchoolDobcroft Nursery Infant School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its February 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
23.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from 2.24 to 2.09 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 70.1 to 66.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 90% to 79% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 66.6 | 78.5% |
| Disadvantaged(42) | - | 56.6 | 50% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(135) | - | 69.7 | 87.4% |
| Boys(83) | - | 67.4 | 84.3% |
| Girls(94) | - | 65.9 | 73.4% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(51) | - | 63.7 | 70.6% |
| Non mobile(175) | - | 66.5 | 78.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 118 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
4
Permanent exclusions
0.38%
Exclusion rate
69
Suspensions
6.60%
Suspension rate
42 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,046 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Mercia School
Term dates
Mercia School is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Sheffield's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Mercia School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Mercia School is in Sheffield; for families living there:
- Sheffield's school travel policy: Home to School Travel and Transport Policy September 2023
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 8 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Mercia School
Will you get a place at Mercia School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Mercia School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Mercia School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Mercia School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Sheffield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Mercia School for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Sheffield got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
1,044 pupils
1,200 places
156 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sheffield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sheffield
Across Sheffield council
Places available
6,421
Applications
6,416
Got 1st preference
88.7%
Got preferred school
96.6%
All secondary applications across Sheffield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: 2 first choices per place
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
133
SEN Support
21
EHC Plans
14.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,070
Total Pupils
503
Boys
567
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
80
Teachers
13.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,726
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,814
Per pupil
£6634k
Total funding
£221k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
12.0%
Persistent absence
937
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Mercia School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Mercia School
What are GCSE results like at Mercia School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Mercia School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 66.6. 79% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Mercia School's Ofsted rating?
Mercia School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2023.
What is the catchment area for Mercia School?
No fixed boundary. When Mercia School is oversubscribed, Sheffield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Mercia School?
Mercia School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 1200 places.
How big are the classes at Mercia School?
Classes at Mercia School average 23.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Mercia School?
Mercia School has around 1070 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Mercia School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Mercia School in 2024/25. 12% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Mercia School?
Apply through Sheffield's coordinated admissions process, naming Mercia School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Mercia School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 8 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Mercia School?
Mercia School is at Carter Knowle Road, Sheffield, S7 2DY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)