Sir John Talbot's SchoolThe Grove School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Sir John Talbot's School and The Grove School are secondary schools.
Sir John Talbot's School scores 59 out of 100 (grade C, average) and The Grove School scores 40 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Sir John Talbot's School is ahead on our composite score.
Sir John Talbot's School was judged Good and The Grove School was judged Requires improvement.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 40.2 for Sir John Talbot's School and 38.2 for The Grove School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Sir John Talbot's School (47.6 in 2021-22, 40.2 in 2025-26) and has fallen at The Grove School (46.6 in 2021-22, 38.2 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | WhitchurchSir John Talbot's School | Market DraytonThe Grove School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C59/100Stronger figure | D40/100 | |
| Local ranking | 4th of 20 in Shropshire Stronger figure | 18th of 20 in Shropshire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | Ofsted: Requires improvement | |
| School type | Academy sponsor led | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-19 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 861 | 856 | |
| Capacity | 791 | 1,206 | |
| Location | Whitchurch, SY13 2BY | Market Drayton, TF9 1HF | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 40.2 Stronger figure | 38.2 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 38.9% Stronger figure | 28.0% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 56.9% Stronger figure | 53.4% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 144 | 161 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 34 | 36 | |
| A-level average points | 27.6 | 27.8 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C- | C- | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 27.4 Stronger figure | 26.0 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 2.9% Stronger figure | 0.0% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 873 | 815 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 21.7% | 28.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 6.6% | 5.3% | |
| SEN support | 8.8% | 16.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 5.6% | 2.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.0% Stronger figure | 9.1% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 22.5% Stronger figure | 23.3% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Sir John Talbot's School
The Grove School
Full profiles: Sir John Talbot's School · The Grove School