Pontesbury CofE Primary School, Shrewsbury
Pontesbury CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Shrewsbury. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 32 schools in Shrewsbury with published results, and 4,096th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Shropshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Pontesbury CofE Primary School in detail
Pontesbury CofE Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome, on behalf of everyone at Pontesbury CofE Primary School. We want children at our school to develop curious minds that are intrigued to learn."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis, cross-country, drama, choir, chess and gardening.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils at Pontesbury CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 72% in Shropshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 63% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Pontesbury CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Pontesbury CofE Primary School as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Pontesbury CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Pontesbury CofE Primary School are Minsterley Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 96% reading, 87% maths); Longden CofE Primary School (2.4 miles, Requires improvement, 73% reading, 91% maths); St Thomas and St Anne CofE Primary School (3.1 miles, Good, 62% reading, 62% maths); and Trinity CofE Primary School (4.7 miles, Good, 88% reading, 79% maths).
Pontesbury CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Minsterley Primary SchoolLongden CofE Primary SchoolSt Thomas and St Anne CofE Primary SchoolTrinity CofE Primary School
What parents say
100 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Pontesbury CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (80%).
Who goes there
14.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 31 pupils (14.7%) received SEN support and 4 (1.9%) 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 specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Pontesbury CofE Primary School.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Mary Webb School (adjacent), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Pontesbury CofE Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a nurturing school where children feel valued, happy and safe. Staff are ambitious for all pupils and provide excellent support, particularly for those with additional needs. The school has worked hard to improve reading outcomes and has strengthened its curriculum to help more pupils reach their potential.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding early years provision with high expectations and carefully designed activities matched to children's learning needs
- Strong, inclusive support for pupils with SEND, with well-trained staff providing tailored strategies
- Effective teaching of reading with well-trained staff delivering phonics consistently, helping pupils develop confidence and fluency
- Recent curriculum changes that identify key knowledge and skills in logical sequences, helping pupils learn well
- Positive behaviour and attendance, with pupils being polite, courteous and enjoying school
Areas for Improvement
- Quality of pupils' written work in wider subjects is variable, with errors in presentation, spelling and punctuation not corrected consistently, causing pupils to repeat mistakes
- Pupils' understanding of different cultures and fundamental British values is limited and needs to be developed more thoroughly
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school maintaining proper safeguarding procedures and creating a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Astronomy club, sports opportunities, musical opportunities, outdoor learning provision, school council, librarians, house captains
Pontesbury CofE Primary School is a warm and welcoming village school where pupils thrive and behave well. The school has made recent curriculum changes to support more pupils to achieve their potential, with outstanding early years provision and strong support for pupils with SEND.
At a Glance
14.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
100 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 63% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 74% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 69% to 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.0
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
32.0
KS2
6
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Pontesbury CofE Primary School
Fossils
2 Oct 2026
Conker competition
29 Sep 2026
OPAL goes Platinum!
18 Sep 2026
So long Year 6
17 Jul 2026
Year 1 Artwork
13 Jul 2026
Roman hoard!
25 Jun 2026
From Pontesbury CofE Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Pontesbury CofE Primary School
Term dates
Pontesbury CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Shropshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Thursday 2 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Monday 24 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Pontesbury CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Pontesbury CofE Primary School is in Shropshire; for families living there:
Apply to Shropshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Shropshire is 1 (the median across 187 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 Pontesbury CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Pontesbury CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Pontesbury CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Pontesbury CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Pontesbury CofE Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Shropshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Pontesbury CofE Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Shropshire 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
102%
Over capacity
214 pupils
210 places
4 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Shrewsbury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Shrewsbury
Across Shropshire council
Places available
3,420
Applications
2,582
Got 1st preference
97.4%
Got preferred school
99.8%
All primary applications across Shropshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
31
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
16.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
211
Total Pupils
105
Boys
106
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
19.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,011
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,140
Per pupil
£1177k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
12.1%
Persistent absence
190
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Pontesbury CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about Pontesbury CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Pontesbury CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 87% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Pontesbury CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Pontesbury CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Pontesbury CofE Primary School is oversubscribed, Shropshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
Pontesbury CofE Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
Classes at Pontesbury CofE Primary School average 30 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
Pontesbury CofE Primary School has around 211 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Pontesbury CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 12.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
Apply through Shropshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Pontesbury CofE Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
What are Pontesbury CofE Primary School's term dates?
Pontesbury CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Shropshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Thursday 2 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Monday 24 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Shropshire is 1 (the median across 187 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Pontesbury CofE Primary School?
Pontesbury CofE Primary School is at Bogey Lane, Pontesbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY5 0TF.
Sources: Shropshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)