What is Birches Head Academy's Ofsted rating?

Birches Head Academy has been rated "Inadequate" by Ofsted. This is the overall judgement recorded under the inspection framework in use on the inspection date. Read the report for the findings and subsequent monitoring.

What does the admissions demand data show for Birches Head Academy?

Birches Head Academy recorded 69 first-choice applications and 129 offers made on national offer day for 2026/27. That is 0.5 first-choice applications per offer made. This is a historic demand signal, not an individual admission probability or a catchment boundary. Admission criteria, address, preferences and the applicant cohort also matter.

Does Birches Head Academy offer SEND support?

DfE data for Birches Head Academy lists these SEND need or provision categories: Specific Learning Difficulty (Dyslexia), Moderate Learning Difficulty, Severe Learning Difficulty, Social, Emotional & Mental Health, Speech, Language & Communication, and 5 more categories. This does not guarantee a particular place or service. Contact the school's SENCO for its current provision.

What are Birches Head Academy's exam results?

Birches Head Academy's published exam results include: 17% achieved grade 5+ in English and Maths GCSE; Attainment 8 score of 31.3. Check the result year before comparing schools.

Birches Head Academy

#14 in Best Secondary Schools in Stoke-on-Trent

Parent reviews

Pupils: 925
Ages: 11–16
Gender: Mixed
School type: Academy converter

About

Birches Head Academy is a state-funded secondary school in Stoke-on-Trent, West Midlands, for pupils aged 11 to 16 for boys and girls. DfE data records 925 pupils on roll and a published capacity of 1,040.

The latest recorded Ofsted overall judgement is Inadequate (3 Oct 2023). The published Attainment 8 score was 31.3 for 2024/25. Admissions data records 69 first-preference applications and 129 offers made on national offer day for 2026/27.

Reporting periods vary by source — Methodology.

School Rating

1/10

Classpot Rating

Birches Head Academy’s combined academic results and attendance score is in the much lower band compared with mainstream state secondary schools across England for 2024/25.

1/10Academic results

Much lower

The school’s Attainment 8 score was 31.3 in 2024/25. This measures average attainment across eight GCSE-level qualifications, using DfE’s subject weighting rules.

The score compares this result with 3,058 mainstream state secondary schools in England with both required measures for 2024/25. Academic attainment contributes 90% of the combined score. It measures exam or assessment results, not how much progress pupils made from their starting points.

1/10Attendance

Much lower

Overall absence was 11.85% of possible school sessions in 2024/25. This includes authorised and unauthorised absence; it is not the percentage of pupils who were persistently absent.

The score compares absence with 3,058 mainstream state secondary schools in England with both required measures for 2024/25. Lower absence receives a higher score. Attendance contributes 10% of the combined score and does not on its own measure teaching quality.

NAPupil progress

Not available for 2024/25

DfE did not publish Progress 8 for 2024/25 because the required KS2 assessments were cancelled during the pandemic. Progress would compare pupils’ outcomes with those of pupils with similar earlier attainment.

Pupil progress is not included in this version of Classpot Rating. Its absence does not reduce the school’s score.

Methodology and official sources

Contact Information

01782233595 www.bircheshead.org.uk

Birches Head Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent, ST2 8DD

Mrs Louise Toach

Details

School Type: Secondary (State)
Age Range: 11 to 16 years
Gender: Mixed
Establishment type: Academy converter
Local Authority: Stoke-on-Trent

The full reporton this school

School admissions data, what the Ofsted report means for you, and how it compares to nearby schools.

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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

Inadequate

Based on 3 Oct 2023 · Legacy grading · Open inspection report ↗

Inspection judgements
Area	Judgement
Quality of education	Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes	Inadequate
Personal development	Requires improvement
Leadership & management	Requires improvement

Previous inspection · 26 Jun 2018Legacy grading · Requires improvement

Previous inspection judgements
Area	Judgement
Overall effectiveness	Requires improvement
Leadership & management	Requires improvement

Published 10 Apr 2024.

Ofsted legacy grades; compare inspection dates and frameworks.

Catchment & distance

Distance unavailable; check admission criteria with the school or council.

Admissions

Application dates · 2027/28 entry
Measure	Value
School’s local authority	Stoke-on-Trent
Applications open	Usually 1 September 2026
Application deadline	31 October 2026
National offer day	1 March 2027

Apply through your home council; confirm local dates and any extra school forms.

Admissions demand · 2026/27
Measure	Value
Offers made on National Offer Day	129
First-preference applications	69
Applications (all preferences)	164
First-preference offers	69

Source: Published admissions data; follow each measure’s labelled basis, including all preferences where shown.

School performance

GCSE results

GCSE results · 2024/25
Measure	Value
Attainment 8 (average score)	31.3
English & maths: grades 9–4	39.2%
English & maths: grades 9–5	17.1%
EBacc entry	25.6%
EBacc grades 9–4	10.1%
EBacc grades 9–5	4%
EBacc average point score	2.62

DfE · 2024/25; compare the same year and measure (— unavailable or suppressed).

Destinations after GCSE · 2022/23
Destination	Pupils
This school’s sixth form	1.1%
Sixth-form college	20.1%
Further education college	46.9%
Apprenticeship	5.6%
Employment	4.5%
Not sustained	15.6%
Unknown	5.6%

Cohort: 179 pupils · Sustained education or employment: 78.8%

DfE destinations follow school leavers, not current pupils.

Students and teachers

19.4 pupils per qualified teacher

2025/26 · Full-time equivalent teachers, not class size.

Students

Number of pupilsPeriod not recorded: 925
School capacityPeriod not recorded: 1040
Free school meals (FSM)2025/26: 41.1%
English as an additional language (EAL)2025/26: 28.3%
Attendance2024/25: 88.15%
Persistent absence (10% or more of sessions)2024/25: 36.16%

Classes & attendance

Average class size2025/26: 26.1
Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25: 121.83
Suspensions (count)2024/25: 1161
Permanent exclusions per 100 pupils2024/25: 1.47
Permanent exclusions (count)2024/25: 14

More pupil data

Absence breakdown
Measure	Value
Authorised absence2024/25	6.82%
Unauthorised absence2024/25	5.04%

Ethnic background · 2025/26
Group	Pupils
White British	52.9%
White other	9%
Mixed	3.7%
Asian	12.8%
Black	10.7%
Other	10.7%

DfE school, census, workforce, absence and exclusion data; periods vary, and missing values are not zero.

Published SEND Data

Autism
Dyslexia
Mental Health
Speech & Language
Hearing
Vision
Physical
Learning Difficulty
Severe Learning
Other

DfE data; confirm current support with the school's SENCO.

Ofsted Parent View

39.3% would recommend this school

28 responses · Nov 2025 – Apr 2026

Parent survey responses
Question	Agree or strongly agree
Happy at school	42.8%
Feels safe	25%
Behaviour	25%
Bullying handled	41.2%

Additional parent survey responses
Question	Agree or strongly agree
SEND support	36.4%
Communication	28.6%
Concerns handled	42.9%
Best interests	17.9%
Support to learn	39.2%

FAQ about Birches Head Academy

Results: Published results describe a past pupil cohort. Compare the same measure and reporting year; attainment and progress measure different things. Understanding secondary results.

Inspection: Read the inspection date and full report alongside the headline judgement. Schools inspected under different frameworks cannot be compared using a headline grade alone. Understanding Ofsted inspections.

Admissions: Applications and places describe past demand, not your child’s chance of an offer. Check the entry year and current admission criteria, including any priority groups. School admissions timeline.

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