Wistanstow CofE Primary School
Wistanstow, Craven Arms, SY7 8DQOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Wistanstow CofE Primary School is a primary school in Craven Arms for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 183 schools in Shropshire. It ranks 93rd of 95 primary schools in Shropshire. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 8 October 2024, report published 14 November 2024
This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years provision
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 8 October 2024
Pupils are enthusiastic and proud to attend this small village school. They build lasting friendships that they value. This gives them a strong sense of security and belonging. Pupils attend regularly and behave well. They start the day with smiles and laughter as they eagerly meet their friends. The school's expectations of pupils' academic achievements have been too low in the past. Expectations are increasing, and changes are underway. Pupils now follow a curriculum that enhances their knowledge. However, the curriculum is not taught consistently well. Recent improvements to the curriculum have not yet impacted on pupils' knowledge. Some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not make sufficient progress to be fully prepared for secondary school. Pupils understand the values that the school promotes and work hard to put them into practice. They display generosity to each other and people in the local community. For example, they support local charities, giving their time and resources to help others. Pupils enjoy taking part in extra-curricular activities. They are eager to compete in sporting events and are especially proud of the significant achievements of the school's netball team. Such achievements have boosted pupils' confidence and self-esteem.
What the school should improve
- There is variation in staff's expertise. Where this is not strong, the explanations that adults provide and tasks that they set do not help pupils to learn key information as effectively as the school expects. The school should ensure that all staff know how to teach the curriculum well, so that all pupils achieve as well as they can.
- Pupils with SEND do not always receive the support that they need to make progress through the curriculum. Staff do not always make adaptions to help these pupils access new learning. As a result, support does not consistently have the impact that the school expects on pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that the curriculum is adapted when necessary to ensure that pupils with SEND learn well.
- The school's approach to monitoring the impact of the revised curriculum on what pupils know and remember is not yet well-established. This means that those responsible for leadership do not have a precise understanding of when gaps form in pupils' learning or how to address them. The school should ensure that gaps in pupils' learning are identified quickly and addressed to support all pupils to achieve well.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
10 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
51 pupils on roll, with places for 84
Schools near Wistanstow CofE Primary School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stokesay Primary School | 2 miles | Report card: Strong standard to exceptional | 79% met the expected standard |
| Onny CofE (A) Primary School | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 36% met the expected standard |
| Corvedale CofE Primary School | 5 miles | Ofsted: Good | 50% met the expected standard |
| Clunbury CofE Primary School | 5 miles | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | 67% met the expected standard |
| Lydbury North Church of England Primary School | 5 miles | Ofsted: Good | 14% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Nursery classes
- No
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul O'Malley (interim Executive Headteacher)
- Phone
- 01588673347
- Address
- Wistanstow, Craven Arms, SY7 8DQ
- Local authority
- Shropshire
- URN
- 123517
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.