Bursley Academy

About Bursley Academy

Bursley Academy is a state primary school in Newcastle-under-Lyme that currently educates 383 pupils against a capacity of 420, leaving some physical room to grow. Its intake reflects a broadly typical demographic for the area: 16.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average for primary schools but not dramatically so. The school is clearly in demand among local families. For the 2025/26 intake, it received 72 applications for 45 places, and all 45 first-preference applicants were offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.6. That suggests Bursley is a popular first choice within its community, even though it isn't one of the top-ranked primaries in Staffordshire. The school has a nursery provision for three-year-olds, so it can serve families from the earliest stage of primary education, and it operates as a mixed, non-religious state school under headteacher Sara Stevenson.

Academically, Bursley Academy sits in the middle of the pack. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 69% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is four percentage points above the local authority average of 65%. That places the school 16th out of 35 primaries in Newcastle-under-Lyme and in the top 50% nationally. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was just 5%, and individual subject scores show some variation: maths performed strongest, with 88% at expected and an average scaled score of 106, while reading and writing were weaker at 71% and 81% expected respectively. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024 rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a significant drop from its previous Outstanding grade in 2012. The breakdown shows that while early years, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership were all judged Good, the quality of education itself was rated Requires Improvement.

For families considering Bursley, the practical picture is mixed but encouraging in several respects. The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, ICT suite, art studios, library and even a chapel, plus clubs covering drama, coding and film. Sports provision includes rounders, netball, cross country, dance and football. Its SEND support is notably comprehensive, with provisions for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language challenges, hearing impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed but manageable, with a 1.6 ratio that suggests competition without being prohibitive. Given its solid KS2 results above the LA average, strong SEND framework, and Good ratings across most Ofsted categories, Bursley Academy could suit families who value a well-resourced, inclusive primary that is clearly popular locally, even if its overall Ofsted rating gives pause for thought.

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