Belvidere School
Academy converter · 830 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.8
Academy converter
The Marches School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,346of 1,500 places
- Free school meals
- 20.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 257
- Ofsted
- Good, 26 September 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Marches School and Technology College (URN 123584, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 253 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Marches School in 2023, 37% stayed on in The Marches School’s own sixth form (Shropshire average 15%), 19% went to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 108 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 44% went to university (Shropshire 36%, England 37%), and 24% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 43.1 against 46.1 across England and 42.5 in Shropshire, with 39% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
A level grades average C+, below the England average of B-; 9% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Business Studies, Psychology and Biology.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Shropshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Marches School | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 253 | 2,982 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 75% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 37% | 15% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 19% | 45% | 13% |
| — further education college | 19% | 19% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 8% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 6% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Marches School | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 108 | 2,261 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 87% | 85% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 44% | 36% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 24% | 16% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 1% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 10% | 7% |
| Employment | 29% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 11% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Marches School | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 43.1 | 42.5 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 39% | 37% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62% | 59% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 53% | 33% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.87 | 3.71 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 24% | 21% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 36.4 | 31.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.2 | 45.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 9% | 5% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 257 | 100% | 89% | 12% | 20% | 63% |
| Mathematics | 257 | 100% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 66% |
| English Literature | 248 | 96% | 86% | 17% | 21% | 73% |
| Combined Science | 220 | 86% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 52% |
| Geography | 144 | 56% | 41% | 22% | 25% | 67% |
| History | 130 | 51% | 41% | 21% | 26% | 56% |
| Spanish | 82 | 32% | 19% | 10% | 27% | 51% |
| Business Studies | 79 | 31% | 18% | 24% | 20% | 67% |
| French | 52 | 20% | 18% | 10% | 29% | 77% |
| Fine Art | 42 | 16% | 9% | 24% | 28% | 90% |
| Design and Technology | 41 | 16% | 11% | 7% | 23% | 44% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 37 | 14% | 8% | 14% | 21% | 62% |
| Physical Education | 35 | 14% | 11% | 43% | 24% | 91% |
| Biology | 32 | 12% | 23% | 19% | 45% | 88% |
| Physics | 32 | 12% | 23% | 31% | 46% | 81% |
| Chemistry | 31 | 12% | 23% | 32% | 47% | 90% |
| Drama | 28 | 11% | 7% | 29% | 27% | 79% |
| Music | 28 | 11% | 5% | 46% | 33% | 82% |
| Photography | 18 | 7% | 6% | 17% | 19% | 89% |
| Religious Studies | 18 | 7% | 31% | 17% | 32% | 78% |
| Media Studies | 16 | 6% | 4% | 13% | 20% | 69% |
| Computer Science | 12 | 5% | 13% | 42% | 30% | 58% |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| German | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 34 | 40% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 21 | 25% | — |
| Sports Studies | 20 | 24% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 18 | 21% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The Marches School | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 205 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 85 | 1,093 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 33.43 | 32.78 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 9% | 10% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | 29 | 34% | 13% |
| Psychology | 22 | 26% | 23% |
| Biology | 20 | 24% | 20% |
| Mathematics | 20 | 24% | 31% |
| Geography | 20 | 24% | 10% |
| History | 19 | 22% | 13% |
| Law | 15 | 18% | 4% |
| English Literature | 12 | 14% | 11% |
| Politics | 9 | 11% | 6% |
| Media Studies | 7 | 8% | 4% |
| Computer Science | 7 | 8% | 5% |
| English Language | 6 | 7% | 4% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Sociology | — | — | 13% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 16 | 19% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 11 | 13% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 11% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 8% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Shropshire
Bridgnorth Endowed School
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80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.4
Church Stretton School
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88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.0
Idsall School
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86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.0
Lakelands Academy
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76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.1
Ludlow Church of England School
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82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.9
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.