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Upper Shirley High School

Secondary · Southampton · SO15 7QU

Data updated

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Good

Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system

This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 22 October 2019

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,062 pupils · 107% of 990 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–16
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
30.4% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
33.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
10.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
http://uppershirleyhigh.org/
URN
137037

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 248 families named it first for 215 Year 7 places, 1.15 first choices per place. We hold 4 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2022 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. Ofsted last graded it Good on 22 October 2019, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7.4% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.15 first-choice applications per place

215 places offered · 248 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Cutoff by admission criterion (2026 entry)

Criterion not stated
0.681 miles

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

217 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
47
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
68.2%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
49.3%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.1
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school47
Median of its 12 closest peers46.6
Southampton average42.6
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
The Grange AcademyBushey · 67 miles awayGood41.3
The Netherhall SchoolCambridge · 110 miles awayGood45.5
E-ACT Montpelier High SchoolBristol · 63 miles awayInadequate57.3
Saint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary AcademyDerby · 139 miles awayGood45.3
Lift Richmond ParkLondon · 62 miles awayGood56.1
John Taylor Free SchoolBurton-on-Trent · 129 miles awayGood46.4
Marshalls Park AcademyRomford · 83 miles awayGood42.9
The St Marylebone CofE SchoolLondon · 69 miles awayOutstanding61
Harris Academy SuttonSutton · 61 miles awayOutstanding58.2
St Mary's Catholic AcademyBlackpool · 211 miles awayNeeds attention41.5
Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic CollegeWorcester · 93 miles awayExpected standard53.1
St Alban's Catholic High SchoolIpswich · 137 miles awayGood46.9

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 58% (Southampton 53%, England 59%) · Any other White background 12% (Southampton 13%, England 7%) · Black African 6% (Southampton 7%, England 5%) · Asian Indian 6% (Southampton 5%, England 4%) · Any other Asian background 4% (Southampton 6%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 3% (Southampton 2%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Southampton 2%, England 3%) · Not recorded 2% (Southampton 0%, England 2%) · Asian Pakistani 2% (Southampton 3%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Black African 2% (Southampton 1%, England 1%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Southampton 2%, England 3%) · Asian Chinese 1% (Southampton 1%, England 1%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Southampton 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Southampton 2%, England 2%)

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7.4%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
18.6%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

14.89 suspensions per 100 pupils and 4 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Southampton: 24.88 suspensions and 0.12 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
16.4
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

93% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 4% moved to another state school · 3% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

76.8% of teachers took sickness absence, 7.8 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £54,367; 9.1% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£7,653
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 80% (77%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 7% (6%) · supplies and services 8% (11%) · educational supplies 4% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (1%) · catering 4% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £303,000; in-year balance +£297,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
92%
Continuing in education
89%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
1%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
10/10among the least deprived tenth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
10/10among the least deprived tenth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher47%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications11.2%18.1%
In managerial or professional work47%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways11.1%18.1%
Residents in very good health55.7%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier79.1%62.3%
Social housing4.4%17.1%
Privately rented16.6%20.5%
Detached houses22.1%22.9%
Flats19.3%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms33.3%21.1%
Households with no car or van14.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01017248 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£334,000394 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£235,500–£450,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (87)£490,000
Semi-detached (140)£385,000
Terraced (79)£286,000
Flat (88)£175,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
2an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
10an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
40an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
11an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools