The Thomas Adams School Review 2026: State secondary with sixth form and boarding in Wem

A large, mixed secondary with a distinctive feature that is rare in the state sector: a full boarding option alongside day places. The school traces its roots to 1650 and sits across two sites a short walk apart, with sixth form provision based on the historic Noble Street buildings.

The September 2023 Ofsted inspection judged The Thomas Adams School to be Good, including Good sixth form provision.

For families, the practical headline is simple: tuition is state-funded, while boarding is charged separately, creating a “boarding-school experience” at a far lower cost than independent boarding.

There is a long institutional memory here. The school’s own history pages frame its founding as the “Free School of Wem” in 1650, and the present-day school still leans into that dual identity, heritage on one hand, modern school systems on the other.

A structured house system helps give day-to-day life a clear rhythm. Every student is allocated to one of seven houses, named after Shropshire hills: Clee, Lawley, Haughmond, Caradoc, Corndon, Hawkstone, Grinshill. The implication for parents is that rewards, leadership roles, and inter-house events are part of the normal “how it works” rather than an optional add-on.

Leadership stability also matters in a school of this size. Mark Cooper has led the school since January 2019, with the school joining the 3-18 Education Trust in March 2020.

Boarding sits slightly apart from the day-school experience, with its own routines, staffing, and expectations. Adams House is described as accommodating up to 64 students (with boarding taken termly or weekly), which is large enough to sustain a busy community but still small compared with the overall school roll.

GCSE outcomes

Based on FindMySchool’s proprietary rankings (built from official results data), The Thomas Adams School is ranked 2540th in England for GCSE outcomes and 8th in Shrewsbury locally. This reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The underlying metrics indicate an academically mixed intake with outcomes that are not “exam-heavy” in the way some selective or highly academic schools are. Attainment 8 is 42.3, while Progress 8 is -0.5, which indicates students, on average, make less progress than similar students nationally from their starting points. EBacc indicators are also relatively modest, with 12.7% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure, and an EBacc average point score of 3.67.

For parents, the implication is that this is a school where a child’s experience is likely to be shaped as much by teaching consistency, pastoral systems, and individual support as by headline exam culture, especially for students aiming for the top grades.

A-level outcomes

For A-levels, FindMySchool ranks the sixth form 1887th in England and 5th in Shrewsbury locally. This places outcomes below England average overall (bottom 40%).

The grade profile shows 1.1% A*, 13.9% A, 22.0% B, and 37.0% A* to B. Put simply, the sixth form produces a meaningful proportion of strong grades, but the overall A* to B rate is below the England benchmark (England average A* to B: 47.2%).

The implication for families is that sixth form can work well for students who value a smaller local option and strong pastoral continuity, while very high-attaining students should look carefully at subject fit, teaching strength by department, and academic stretch.

Curriculum planning is set up to support breadth. The inspection documentation highlights deep dives across English, mathematics, science, history, design and technology, and art, which is usually a signal that these subjects form a core part of the school’s quality assurance and development focus.

A notable feature in the published inspection summary is targeted literacy support for students who need it, including structured help with decoding and reading fluency. This matters because in a comprehensive school serving a wide rural area, the range of starting points can be wide. Support that is systematic rather than ad hoc tends to make the difference between students “coping” and students improving steadily over time.

Sixth form entry requirements are clearly stated: a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, with subject-specific requirements that can be higher in certain courses. The sixth form prospectus also notes that students without a grade 4 in English and or mathematics continue to study those subjects post-16.

The school does not publish a Russell Group percentage in the sources reviewed, so the most concrete destination picture comes from the DfE 16 to 18 destinations data for the 2023/24 cohort.

For those 2023/24 leavers, 48% progressed to university. 9% started apprenticeships, and 24% entered employment. A small proportion, 1%, progressed to further education.

The implication is that the sixth form supports multiple routes, not only university, and apprenticeships and employment are both prominent pathways. Families who want a strongly university-led culture should check how guidance is delivered in practice, including subject choice support, UCAS coaching, and the extent of employer engagement.

Year 7

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Shropshire Council rather than directly with the school. The school’s own admissions guidance is explicit: apply by 31 October in the academic year before starting, with offers notified on 1 March.

Open events for the 2026 entry cycle were scheduled in September 2025 (with a listed school open day and open evening on 16 September 2025). As those dates are now in the past, families should treat September as the typical open day season and check the school’s current calendar for the next round of visit opportunities.

The published admission number for Year 7 is 208, which is helpful context when judging how quickly a year group can feel “full” and how competitive a late move might be.

Sixth form

Sixth form applications are made directly to the school. The school recommends applying by mid-December, while also stating that it accepts applications throughout the year, subject to meeting the entry requirement (five GCSEs at grade 4 or above).

Boarding entry

Boarding adds a separate layer. The admissions policy indicates that entry to Adams House is through interview and supplementary information, designed to assess suitability for boarding. Importantly, a boarding place is not the same as a Year 7 school place, and families must still complete the normal local authority school application route for Year 7.

In a school that serves a wide catchment, pastoral systems need to scale. Published materials emphasise year-group pastoral structures and a house system intended to build belonging and student leadership pathways.

For boarding students, wellbeing support is framed around stable routines, an expectations-led environment, and structured evening and weekend opportunities. The boarding inspection report describes calm order and a culture where students feel able to raise concerns.

A practical point for families is that pastoral care looks different for day students and boarders. Day students are more dependent on tutor, head of year, and home routines; boarders gain staff availability outside the school day, but also need to be comfortable with communal living and house rules.

The school’s extracurricular pages provide unusually specific examples, which helps parents understand what is genuinely on offer.

For students who want structured leadership and volunteering, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a clear pillar. For students drawn to computing, there is a Computer Club. For sustainability-minded students, there is an Eco Group and an environment club branded Adams Aware. For writing and reporting, the school describes a newspaper, The Student’s Herald. For hobby-based social groups, a Warhammer Club is explicitly listed.

Trips are also described with concrete examples: fieldwork linked to biology and geography; visits connected to religious and cultural education such as trips to mosques; and longer-format experiences including an outdoor education centre visit (Arthog is referenced), ski trips, and London trips.

Facilities information is presented at a headline level rather than as a detailed inventory, but it does identify specific sporting assets including tennis and basketball courts, hard-surface play areas, an artificial cricket wicket, and multiple pitches.

The published school-day timings are clear and consistent across the school and sixth form: registration and assembly at 8.40am, with the day ending at 3.20pm.

The school operates across two sites (including the sixth form base at Noble Street), described as roughly a five-minute walk apart, so students should expect some movement between locations as they progress through the school.

For transport, the school signposts catchment-based transport support via the local authority, and also publishes a set of bus routes that cover a wide area including Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Whitchurch, and Market Drayton. Routes are described as demand-led, which is relevant for families planning a move or changing childcare patterns.

Adams House is the defining differentiator. It operates as a state boarding option, which means tuition remains state-funded, and families pay for accommodation and supervision rather than school fees.

For 2025/26, published boarding charges are £5,000 per term for full boarding and £4,000 per term for weekly boarding. A £1,500 security deposit is listed, refundable when the boarder leaves subject to any deductions for outstanding items or damage.

Additional boarding documentation also describes a registration fee (noted as payable when accepting a boarding place) and the use of an expenses account for transport within the local area and organised trips.

Families should also be aware that the most recent boarding inspection documentation identifies administrative and compliance issues, including weaknesses in record collation and aspects of recruitment checks. While the overall boarding experience was judged Good, this is relevant due diligence for any parent considering boarding.

• Academic trajectory at GCSE and A-level. Progress 8 is negative and A-level outcomes sit below England averages. For a student aiming for very high grades, it is worth asking department-specific questions at open events and looking closely at subject combinations and teaching continuity.

• Boarding compliance detail. Boarding is judged Good overall, but the latest boarding documentation highlights weaknesses around record keeping and aspects of recruitment checks. Families considering boarding should ask how these areas have been tightened since the inspection.

• Large school, rural catchment. With a published Year 7 admission number of 208 and transport routes spanning a wide area, day-to-day logistics can define the experience, especially for students commuting longer distances.

• Two-site structure. The sixth form base on Noble Street is a positive for independence, but it also means movement and a slightly different day shape as students progress into post-16.

The Thomas Adams School suits families who want a comprehensive, mixed secondary with a clear pastoral structure, a defined house identity, and the unusual option of state boarding. It can be a strong fit for students who want breadth, extracurricular choice that includes specific interest-based clubs, and a sixth form route that supports multiple post-18 pathways. The key decision points are academic stretch for high-attainers and, for boarders, confidence in day-to-day boarding systems and compliance follow-through.