The Polesworth School
Dordon Road, Dordon, Tamworth, B78 1QT
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- COMMUNITY ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Maura Favell
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Community Academies Trust
- Constituency
- North Warwickshire and Bedworth
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,541
- Pupils on roll
- 1,459
- URN
- 136459
- Local authority
- Warwickshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01827702205
About this school
The Polesworth School is a secondary academy in Tamworth. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,459 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Polesworth School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 239 | 238 | 237 |
| Attainment 8 score | 47.0 | 40.6 | 42.7 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.11 -0.29 to +0.07 | -0.42 -0.60 to -0.24 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 45% | 29.4% | 35.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 69% | 52.5% | 58.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 36% | 36.6% | 37.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Polesworth School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Warwickshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 47 | 41.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 40.6 | 39.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42.7 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,471 |
| 2023/24 | 1,467 |
| 2024/25 | 1,451 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Polesworth School compares
The Polesworth School ranked 28th of 36 secondary schools in Warwickshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 48% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42.7 | 10.5% | 21.2% | 1,459 | — |
| The Wilnecote School | 38.7 | 7.7% | 23.9% | 961 | 1.9 miles |
| Lift Tamworth | 36.1 | 11.8% | 45% | 636 | 2.1 miles |
| Landau Forte Academy, Amington | 40 | 8.4% | 37.8% | 892 | 2.3 miles |
| Landau Forte Academy, QEMS | 49.6 | 6.2% | 26% | 1,029 | 3.7 miles |
| Kingsbury School - A Specialist Science and Mathematics Academy | 37.4 | 9.8% | 24.9% | 604 | 4.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 21.16%
- English as an additional language
- 2.3%
- Overall absence
- 10.51%
- Persistent absence
- 25.98%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Wilnecote School1.9 miles
Secondary · Tamworth
-
Lift Tamworth2.1 miles
Secondary · Tamworth
-
Landau Forte Academy, Amington2.3 miles
Secondary · Tamworth
-
Landau Forte Academy, QEMS3.7 miles
Secondary · Tamworth
-
Kingsbury School - A Specialist Science and Mathematics Academy4.0 miles
Secondary · Kingsbury
Other schools in Tamworth
The Polesworth School ranks 3rd of the 6 ranked secondary schools in Tamworth.
- Landau Forte Academy, Amington Secondary
- Landau Forte Academy, QEMS Secondary
- Lift Rawlett Secondary
- Lift Tamworth Secondary
- The Wilnecote School Secondary
- Amington Heath Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Anker Valley Primary Academy Primary
- Ankermoor Primary Academy Primary
- Ashcroft Infants' School Primary
- Birchwood Primary School Primary
- Bird's Bush Primary School Primary
- Coton Green Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Polesworth School teach?
- The Polesworth School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Tamworth.
- Who is the headteacher of The Polesworth School?
- The headteacher of The Polesworth School is Mrs Maura Favell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Polesworth School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Polesworth School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Polesworth School?
- The Polesworth School has 1,459 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Polesworth School full?
- The Polesworth School has capacity for 1,541 pupils and 1,459 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Polesworth School a faith school?
- No. The Polesworth School has no designated religious character.
- Is The Polesworth School a selective school?
- No. The Polesworth School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is The Polesworth School part of an academy trust?
- The Polesworth School is part of COMMUNITY ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Polesworth School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 47 in 2022/23 and 42.7 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Polesworth School compare with other schools in Warwickshire?
- The Polesworth School ranked 28th of 36 secondary schools in Warwickshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 48% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Polesworth School's absence rate?
- The Polesworth School's overall absence rate is 10.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Polesworth School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Polesworth School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.