St Edward's Church of England Academy

About St Edward's Church of England Academy

St Edward's Church of England Academy sits in a local authority where the average Progress 8 score for secondary schools is -0.18, meaning most schools in Staffordshire see pupils achieve slightly below the national benchmark. St Edward's itself doesn't have a published Progress 8 score in the data, so it's hard to say exactly how it measures up on that front. What is clear, however, is that the school has made a notable improvement in its Ofsted rating. In its most recent graded inspection in September 2024, it was judged Good overall, a significant step up from its previous Requires Improvement rating in February 2022. The inspection team awarded Outstanding for personal development, with Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. That jump suggests the school has addressed earlier weaknesses and is now performing more strongly than the average LA school in terms of regulatory confidence, even if the headline attainment metric isn't available to compare directly.

On academic outcomes, the picture is less straightforward because the data doesn't include Key Stage 4 results or a Progress 8 figure for St Edward's itself. The school's age range is 9 to 13, which means it's a middle school, so pupils leave before sitting GCSEs, and the usual secondary accountability measures may not apply in the same way. The Ofsted report from 2024 noted that the quality of education is now Good, which implies that curriculum delivery and pupil progress are on track. Parent feedback from the Parent View survey, covering September 2024 to September 2025, shows that 80% of the 125 respondents would recommend the school. On specific questions, 82% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, and 88% felt their child is safe. However, only 43% agreed that the school makes them aware of what their child will learn, and 50% disagreed on that point, which suggests communication about the curriculum could be a weak spot.

The school is housed in a former middle school site with a strong set of facilities, including a swimming pool, gymnasium, theatre, library, sports hall, and chapel. There's no sixth form, so pupils will need to move on after Year 8 or 9. The SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language issues, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 15.3% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a slightly above-average proportion of disadvantaged families for a state secondary. It's oversubscribed in terms of capacity — 695 pupils against a 768-place capacity — so demand is healthy. This school will suit families looking for a Church of England middle school with strong pastoral care, a wide range of clubs and sports, and a recent track record of improvement, particularly if they value personal development being rated Outstanding.

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