Aurora Hanley School, Stoke on Trent

Special
Other independent special school
Mixed
Ages 619

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Tracy Whitehurst
Pupils:84 / 90 capacity
LA:Staffordshire
Phone:01782973737
Address:Cambrian Way, off Eaves Lane, Stoke on Trent, ST2 8PQ
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:11 July 2017

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Inspected 15 July 2025View full report
URN:143839
UKPRN:10067869
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Stoke-on-Trent Central
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Aurora Hanley excels at understanding and supporting every child, particularly those with autism and related conditions. The school has high ambitions for all pupils and delivers a thoughtfully planned curriculum with strong emphasis on reading skills and work readiness. Staff show exceptional levels of care, helping pupils who have previously struggled to flourish and succeed.

Key Strengths

  • Exceptional care and support that helps pupils feel happy and understood at school
  • Strong SEND provision with comprehensive assessments and consistent, well-adapted learning support
  • Outstanding progress tracking and rapid identification of learning gaps by skilled teachers and staff
  • High-quality personal development curriculum including work experience, careers support, and community engagement
  • Excellent behaviour and attitudes with pupils showing high levels of perseverance and consideration for each other

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.

Extracurricular Activities

Feelgood Friday activities, trips to Liverpool, residential trips, local community visits including a café run by sixth-form students, work experience, kitchen garden, sports at local facilities, equalities group

Aurora Hanley School is an independent special school for pupils with autism spectrum disorder and related conditions, rated Outstanding across all areas. The school places exceptional emphasis on understanding each pupil's specific needs and provides highly ambitious, carefully designed curricula with significant breadth.

At a Glance

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

21 responses
Would recommend91%
Child is happy91%
Well taught91%
Good progress86%
Feels safe91%
Well behaved86%
Bullying dealt with5%
Kept informed95%
Handles concerns67%
Wider development86%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

George Steele Avenue (adj)
340m · 6 min walk
Whitehouse Road (opp)
417m · 7 min walk
Newstead Road (adj)
433m · 7 min walk
Birchfield Road (opp)
501m · 8 min walk
Cliveden Road (adj)
502m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

93%

Near capacity

84 pupils

90 capacity

6 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Stoke on Trent

Low pressure
New homes approved:58
Projected new pupils:10

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Stoke on Trent

Admissions Demand - Staffordshire

Low demand0.89x oversubscription

Places available

8,849

Applications

7,846

Got 1st preference

91.6%

Got preferred school

98.6%

Secondary admissions across Staffordshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(5)

15 July 2025
18 October 2022
26 February 2019

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Feeder Primary Schools

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