Mary Webb School and Science College Review 2026: Small-school feel with a rural Shropshire context

Hills and woodland are part of the backdrop here, and the setting matters. This is a village secondary with an intentionally close-knit scale, serving families across Pontesbury and surrounding rural communities. The school is part of TrustEd Schools Alliance, and sits within the mainstream, mixed 11–16 bracket, so the focus is on getting students securely through Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 and ready for the next step at 16.

Leadership has been stable for several years. Mr Peter Lowe-Werrell has been headteacher since September 2018, following his appointment in May 2018, which gives the school a clear through-line in priorities and routines.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. The costs families still tend to budget for are uniform, trips, equipment, optional music tuition, and transport, especially given the rural catchment.

Mary Webb’s own description leans heavily on being a relatively small community secondary, where students are known well and supported through a structured pastoral system. The house structure and the form tutor role are central to how this works day to day, and the school is explicit that individual care and guidance sit alongside academic goals, rather than being an afterthought.

That smaller scale shapes expectations in practical ways. One example is the way the school talks about class size. It highlights smaller groups, especially in English and mathematics, as a deliberate choice to allow more individual attention and tighter feedback loops. For a student who needs steady reassurance and clear checkpoints, that can translate into better engagement and fewer small gaps turning into larger ones.

There is also a strongly “local” texture to school life, not as branding, but as reality. The site is described as rooted in a modern rural context, and the school’s enrichment and careers activity includes engagement with local training providers and employers. For families weighing up whether their child will feel seen in a larger urban comprehensive, this kind of setting can be a genuine differentiator.

Mary Webb is ranked 2,087th in England and 6th in Shrewsbury for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places the school in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), suggesting broadly solid performance rather than an outlier at either extreme.

The headline GCSE indicators point to a steady, broadly positive picture. Attainment 8 is 47.9. Progress 8 is +0.08, which indicates that, on average, students make slightly above-average progress from their starting points across eight qualifications.

One area that stands out for careful interpretation is EBacc. The average EBacc APS is 4.08, and the proportion achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure is 9.1%. EBacc outcomes often reflect entry patterns as much as attainment; families who prioritise a full academic language-and-humanities pathway should look closely at the school’s Key Stage 4 options and language take-up, then discuss what this means for their child’s profile.

The curriculum narrative is broadly traditional, with an emphasis on a broad Key Stage 3 followed by a core GCSE model at Key Stage 4. In the published prospectus material, students begin in mixed-ability tutor groups, and setting is introduced gradually in some areas, which usually signals a careful balance between inclusion and targeted challenge as students mature.

The structure of the day is also clearly set out. Lessons are one hour long and the timetable runs on a 1-2-2 pattern, with one lesson before break and two lessons before and after lunch. This kind of rhythm tends to suit students who do best with predictable blocks of learning and clear transitions, especially in Years 7 and 8 when organisation skills are still settling.

Support for students with additional needs is explicitly referenced in the transition material, including a bespoke package for some students with special educational needs and disabilities, with additional transition days and extra visits designed to reduce anxiety. The implication for parents is practical: the school expects transition to be emotional and plans accordingly, which can be an important reassurance for families moving from smaller primaries.

As an 11–16 school, Mary Webb’s outcomes story is about the quality of onward progression at 16. The school does not publish destination percentages provided, so the most reliable view comes from the school’s own careers and provider-access documentation, which lists the kinds of places Year 11 leavers move on to locally.

In the last two years, the school records students progressing to a mix of sixth form and college routes plus training providers. The named destinations include Shrewsbury Colleges Group, Reaseheath College, North Shropshire College, Shrewsbury School, Telford College, and a range of training providers (including County Training, Renu Training, Coaching Connexions, and SBC Training).

This is supported by a fairly structured programme of “meaningful provider encounters” across Years 8 to 11, alongside careers fairs, options evenings, and apprenticeship support sessions in Year 11. For parents, the value is not just information, but timing. Students hear about pathways early enough to make GCSE choices with post-16 in mind, rather than rushing decisions at the end of Year 11.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Shropshire Council, with the local authority timetable setting the pace. For secondary transfer into September 2026, the published closing date for applications is 31 October 2025, with allocations released on 2 March 2026.

The school is oversubscribed in the local authority’s published guide, which also records the published admission number as 120. Recent demand figures show more applications than places, although the exact ratio varies by year. For September 2025 entry, the guide records 207 applications and 127 places allocated on National Offer Day.

Distance and criteria matter, but they are not always intuitive in rural counties. The guide includes a “criteria and distance of last on-time place allocated” summary. For September 2024 entry, the last on-time offer was recorded under the feeder category at 12.546 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

Families who are trying to judge realistic odds should do two things. First, read the oversubscription criteria carefully, especially how catchment, sibling links, and feeder primary attendance are defined. Second, use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check your precise distance from the school gates and treat last-offer distances as a guide rather than a promise.

Pastoral support is organised around form tutors and a house system, with assistant headteacher oversight across key stages. That matters because it defines who “owns” a concern and how quickly it should move from a tutor conversation to a coordinated plan.

Safeguarding leadership is clearly signposted through the school’s published safeguarding information, which sets out designated safeguarding roles within senior leadership. This clarity tends to correlate with consistent practice: students and families know who to approach, and staff know how to escalate.

The latest Ofsted inspection (7 June 2023) judged the school Good overall, with Good grades across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Enrichment at Mary Webb is framed as a deliberate complement to classroom learning, and the school provides specific examples rather than generic claims. The prospectus cites activities such as gardening and archery, which is a useful indicator that clubs are not solely the standard “sports plus homework” formula. The implication is wider appeal for students whose confidence grows through practical, outdoors, or skills-based activities.

There is also a clear participation strand. The school has been a Duke of Edinburgh licensed provider since 2019, with over 60 students from Years 9 and 10 participating each year. That is substantial for an 11–16 school and signals that staff time is committed to running sustained programmes, not just one-off trips.

For sport, the prospectus points to competitive fixtures and measurable achievements. One cited example is a Year 8 cohort reaching the national finals of the English Schools’ Football Association small schools’ trophy competition, alongside other recent cup progress. This matters because it suggests pathways both for committed players and for students who want to be involved through leadership roles such as officiating and coaching.

STEM enrichment is also visible. The school references participation in CREST Awards and national science and engineering events, which aligns with its specialist science college identity. For students who are curious about applied science and engineering, these kinds of programmes can provide an early “I can do this” experience that feeds into GCSE option confidence.

The published school day structure begins with registration at 8.45am and runs through to the end of period five at 3.15pm. Lessons are one hour and arranged in a 1-2-2 pattern.

Transport is a practical consideration for many families. Shropshire Council sets eligibility rules and application routes for school transport, and the school’s admissions information reminds families to arrange bus passes through the council where appropriate.

As an 11–16 secondary, wraparound care is not typically offered in the way primary schools provide breakfast and after-school clubs; instead, parents should focus on transport timings, extracurricular finish times, and how these fit with work patterns. Where specific supervision arrangements outside the core day are needed, it is sensible to ask directly, as published information can vary year to year.

• Oversubscription is real. Recent Shropshire data shows demand exceeding places for Year 7. If this is your preferred option, apply on time and treat distance and criteria as decisive.

• Catchment and feeder rules can be decisive. The local authority’s published data shows feeder primary attendance and catchment criteria shaping who gets in, and the “last offer distance” can vary widely. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

• Post-16 is an external decision. Because the school ends at 16, families should engage early with the careers programme and local providers, particularly if a specific sixth form, college course, or apprenticeship pathway is the goal.

Mary Webb School and Science College offers a well-structured 11–16 experience with a smaller-school feel and a clear pastoral framework, shaped by its rural Shropshire context. Academic outcomes sit in the middle band nationally, with slightly positive progress measures, and enrichment includes practical activities plus sustained programmes such as Duke of Edinburgh.

Best suited to families seeking a community secondary where students are known well, routines are clear, and the move to a broad range of post-16 providers is actively planned. The main challenge, for many families, is securing a place in an oversubscribed admissions environment.