Sutherland Primary Academy

About Sutherland Primary Academy

Sutherland Primary Academy is a larger-than-average state primary in Stoke-on-Trent, currently home to 481 pupils against a capacity of 428 — meaning it is running well over its intended roll. That oversubscription is backed up by the numbers: for 2025/26 entry, the school received 71 applications for 52 places, with 49 of those coming as first preferences. The oversubscription ratio sits at 1.37, a clear signal that local demand outstrips supply. The intake itself is notably diverse in terms of disadvantage: 48.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average for primary schools and a reflection of the local area’s socioeconomic profile. The school is mixed, non-denominational, and caters for children from age 3 through to 11, with nursery provision on site. Headteacher Nicola Clements leads a team that has overseen a significant turnaround since the school’s previous Ofsted inspection.

Academically, Sutherland sits in the bottom half of Stoke-on-Trent primary schools, ranking 43rd out of 63 in the local authority based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure — 51% — is below the local authority average of 60%, and places the school in the bottom 50% nationally. Breaking it down by subject, 70% of pupils met the expected standard in maths, 68% in reading, and 68% in writing. At the higher standard, the picture is more mixed: 26% achieved higher in maths, 16% in reading, and 14% in writing, but only 5% hit the higher benchmark across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 104 in maths and 103 in reading. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2023, rated it Good overall — a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2015, with leadership and management and early years provision both judged Good.

Facilities include music rooms, art studios, a sensory room, an ICT suite, a sports hall, and a chapel, with sports on offer including swimming, gymnastics, cricket and dance. The school runs a range of clubs — art, chess, eco, film and science — and has a broad SEND offer, with provisions for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families considering alternatives, the nearest Outstanding-rated primary is St Gregory’s Catholic Academy, 1.3 km away. Sutherland is a school that has clearly grown in popularity, but its academic outcomes remain below the local average; it will suit families who prioritise a supportive, inclusive environment with strong SEND support and a wide extracurricular offer, rather than those focused purely on top-end attainment.

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