William Brookes School, Much Wenlock
William Brookes School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Much Wenlock, part of The 3-18 Education Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 16th-highest of the 20 schools in Shropshire with published results, and 2,868th of 3,298 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Shropshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
William Brookes School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at William Brookes School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 41.7 in Shropshire and 47 across England.
25% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 35% in Shropshire and 47% in England.
That is down from 41.4 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.95: pupils made well below 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 30, against 40.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.3 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Business Studies.
Getting a place at William Brookes School
For September 2026 entry, 113 families put William Brookes School as their first choice and 222 named it as one of their preferences, for 123 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at William Brookes School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to William Brookes School are Haberdashers' Abraham Darby (4.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 34.4); Madeley Academy (5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.8); and The Telford Langley School (5.7 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 37.9).
William Brookes School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Haberdashers' Abraham DarbyMadeley AcademyThe Telford Langley School
The trust
William Brookes School is one of 14 schools run by The 3-18 Education Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 156 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 84% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 20% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Of the 50 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 56% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 22% into work. 15% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
2.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 182 pupils (24.3%) received SEN support and 36 (4.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of William Brookes School.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is William Brookes School (adjacent), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, William Brookes School issued 230 suspensions, 28 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; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its May 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Sixth form.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Personal development (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
About
William Brookes School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form in Much Wenlock in the English county of Shropshire. The school is named after William Penny Brookes, a surgeon, magistrate, botanist, and educationalist from Much Wenlock who inspired the modern Olympic Games with the Wenlock Olympian Games.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
20.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.95 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 41.6 to 38.2 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 37% to 25% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 38.2 | 25% |
| Disadvantaged(29) | - | 30.0 | 6.9% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(111) | - | 40.3 | 29.7% |
| Boys(74) | - | 34.3 | 20.3% |
| Girls(66) | - | 42.6 | 30.3% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(135) | - | 38.7 | 25.2% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 2 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 156 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
230
Suspensions
28.05%
Suspension rate
58 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 820 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with William Brookes School
Term dates
William Brookes School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Shropshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to William Brookes School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. William Brookes 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)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 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 William Brookes School
Will you get a place at William Brookes School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against William Brookes School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for William Brookes School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to William Brookes School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Shropshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at William Brookes 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
86%
Available places
816 pupils
948 places
132 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Much Wenlock
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Much Wenlock
Across Shropshire council
Places available
3,213
Applications
2,845
Got 1st preference
91.0%
Got preferred school
98.7%
All secondary applications across Shropshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(8)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
182
SEN Support
36
EHC Plans
29.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
748
Total Pupils
388
Boys
360
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
44
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,437
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,685
Per pupil
£5648k
Total funding
£157k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.6%
Overall absence
27.4%
Persistent absence
819
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
William Brookes School
Questions parents ask about William Brookes School
What are GCSE results like at William Brookes School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at William Brookes School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 38.2. 25% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is William Brookes School's Ofsted rating?
William Brookes School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2017 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for William Brookes School?
No fixed boundary. When William Brookes 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 William Brookes School?
William Brookes School was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 948 places.
How big are the classes at William Brookes School?
Classes at William Brookes School average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to William Brookes School?
William Brookes School has around 748 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at William Brookes School?
9.6% of sessions were missed at William Brookes School in 2024/25. 27.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to William Brookes School?
Apply through Shropshire's coordinated admissions process, naming William Brookes 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 William Brookes School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Shropshire is 1 (the median across 187 schools, same distance and years).
Where is William Brookes School?
William Brookes School is at Farley Road, Much Wenlock, Shropshire, TF13 6NB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)