Ludlow Church of England School
89%
Capacity
623
Pupils
1.4x
Demand
About Ludlow Church of England School
Ludlow Church of England School is a mixed secondary state school in Shropshire, serving pupils aged 11 to 16. In the local authority's Progress 8 rankings, it sits 12th out of 19 schools, placing it in the bottom half of its peers. The top-performing schools in the area include Church Stretton School, The Corbet School, and Sir John Talbot's School, all of which achieved positive Progress 8 scores. With 623 pupils on roll against a capacity of 700, the school is not at full capacity, yet it was oversubscribed for 2025/26 admissions, receiving 165 applications for 118 places and making 115 offers to first-preference families. The school has a Church of England religious character and is led by headteacher Michael Stoppard. Just over a fifth of its pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure that reflects the wider community it serves.
Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2025 rated it as Requires Improvement across all areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This marks a decline from its previous Good rating in 2020. In the 2023/24 exam results, the school's Progress 8 score was -0.47, which is below the Shropshire average of -0.37 and places it in the bottom 50 nationally. Attainment 8 stood at 41.4, and just 30.9% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc average point score was 3.5, with only 14.5% of pupils entering the EBacc combination. Parent View responses, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, show that only 32% of the 94 respondents would recommend the school, and significant proportions disagreed that behaviour is well managed or that SEND children receive adequate support.
The school offers a range of facilities including a library, theatre, chapel, art studios, music rooms, and tennis courts, alongside playing fields. Sports provision includes football, basketball, swimming, and martial arts, while clubs range from Debate and Film Club to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Orchestra. The school's SEND provisions cover a broad spectrum, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Despite the oversubscription for 2025/26, the school's current Ofsted rating and parent feedback suggest it may be a better fit for families who are already familiar with the school and its recent challenges, rather than those seeking a consistently high-performing academic environment. The absence of a sixth form means pupils will need to plan for post-16 options elsewhere.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 16 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Church of England |
| Address | Bromfield Road, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1GJ |
| Headteacher | Michael Stoppard |
| Local Authority | Shropshire |
| Number of Pupils | 623 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 22.3% |
| School Capacity | 623 / 700 (89% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
7 May 2025Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade
Source: Ofsted, 18 Jun 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-0.47)
2567th of 3,141
Nationally
297th of 371
In West Midlands
12th of 19
In Shropshire
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make less progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/232%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 116 pupils).
- FE college56%
- Sixth form college19%
- Employment11%
- Apprenticeship6%
- Not sustained6%
- School sixth form (stay)2%
94% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
Ofsted Parent View
94 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
8Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
14Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed118
165
Balanced
Applications roughly match available places
115 families put this school as their 1st choice (70% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:55 – 15:25
Source: ludlowschool.com. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/25Better than half of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Below the national average (25%).
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British81.4%
- White (other)8.8%
- Mixed3.4%
- Asian2.3%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
2
Total schools
2
Oversubscribed
1
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Ludlow Church of England School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Bromfield Road, Ludlow
Shropshire, SY8 1GJ
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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