Longden CofE Primary School

About Longden CofE Primary School

Longden CofE Primary School sits slightly below the Shropshire local authority average for its key stage 2 headline measure, with 57% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined against a county average of 59%. That gap is narrow enough to suggest the school is broadly in line with its peers, though its ranking of 51st out of 88 primary schools in the LA places it in the bottom half. The school’s overall Ofsted rating of Requires Improvement, from an inspection in October 2023, marks a clear step down from its previous Good rating in 2012. However, the breakdown tells a more nuanced story: personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were all rated Good, while quality of education and early years provision were judged to require improvement. This suggests the school has solid foundations in pastoral care and leadership, but academic delivery needs work.

Looking closer at the 2023/24 key stage 2 results, the picture is mixed. Reading and maths both saw 79% of pupils reach the expected standard, well above the national benchmark, and average scaled scores of 110 in reading and 107 in maths are strong. Writing was weaker, with only 64% at expected standard and 14% at the higher standard. The proportion reaching the higher standard across all three subjects was just 7%, which is low and partly explains the overall ranking. In the West Midlands region, the school sits at the 64th percentile nationally, meaning roughly a third of primary schools nationally perform better on this measure. The school has no progress scores available for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to say how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The previous Good Ofsted rating, now downgraded, suggests a decline in academic consistency that the current leadership team is working to address.

Longden is a small Church of England primary with 143 pupils against a capacity of 105, meaning it is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 20 applications for 8 places, a ratio of 2.5 to one, and all 8 first-preference applicants were offered a place. The school has a nursery provision for children aged 2 and offers a wide range of facilities including a forest school, sensory room, chapel, music rooms and art studios. Sports include swimming, football and tennis, and clubs range from eco club to choir. The SEND register covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, and social and emotional mental health support. With only 5.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the intake is relatively affluent. This school will suit families who value a strong pastoral and creative environment within a Church of England setting, but who are prepared to accept that academic outcomes, particularly at the higher standard, are currently below the LA average.

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