Discovery Academy, Stoke-on-Trent
Discovery Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Stoke-on-Trent, part of Alpha Academies Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 22nd-highest of the 23 schools in Stoke-on-Trent with published results, and 3,163rd of 3,298 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Stoke-on-Trent (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Discovery Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Discovery Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 33.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 41.4 in Stoke-on-Trent and 47 across England.
22% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 36% in Stoke-on-Trent and 47% in England.
That is down from 37.4 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.65: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 28.4, against 39.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.9 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and Geography.
Getting a place at Discovery Academy
For September 2026 entry, 208 families put Discovery Academy as their first choice and 307 named it as one of their preferences, for 221 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Discovery Academy are Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams (1.7 miles); St Thomas More Catholic Academy (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.6); St Peter's CofE Academy (2.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 34.2); and Moorside High School (2.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.5).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Discovery Academy.
Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliamsSt Thomas More Catholic AcademySt Peter's CofE AcademyMoorside High School
The trust
Discovery Academy is one of 6 schools run by Alpha Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 262 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 71% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 52% to a further education college, 7% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
52% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 10% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Black (7%).
Discovery Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 16 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Platform 1, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Glenfield Way (adjacent), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Discovery Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Discovery Academy issued 1110 suspensions, 77.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Discovery Academy are Maple Court Academy (0.3 miles), Sandford Hill Primary School (0.8 miles), Gladstone Primary Academy (1.1 miles) and St Maria Goretti Catholic Academy (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Maple Court AcademySandford Hill Primary SchoolGladstone Primary AcademySt Maria Goretti Catholic Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its April 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
52.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.37 to -0.65 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 38.5 to 33.5 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 28% to 22% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 33.5 | 22.1% |
| Disadvantaged(152) | - | 28.4 | 13.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(137) | - | 39.3 | 31.4% |
| Boys(155) | - | 32.7 | 18.7% |
| Girls(134) | - | 34.5 | 26.1% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(17) | - | 48.9 | 52.9% |
| Non mobile(276) | - | 33.8 | 21.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 262 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.21%
Exclusion rate
1110
Suspensions
77.24%
Suspension rate
257 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,437 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Discovery Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Discovery Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Discovery Academy is in Stoke-on-Trent; for families living there:
- Stoke-on-Trent's school travel policy: School transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Stoke-on-Trent is 12.5 (the median across 116 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Discovery Academy
Will you get a place at Discovery Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Discovery Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Discovery Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Discovery Academy.
- Stoke-on-Trent publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Discovery Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Discovery Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Stoke-on-Trent got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
96%
Near capacity
1,440 pupils
1,500 places
60 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stoke-on-Trent
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stoke-on-Trent
Across Stoke-on-Trent council
Places available
3,140
Applications
3,223
Got 1st preference
88.5%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Stoke-on-Trent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
209
SEN Support
51
EHC Plans
18.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Discovery Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 16 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,435
Total Pupils
738
Boys
697
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
98
Teachers
14.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,905
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,810
Per pupil
£12317k
Total funding
£747k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.3%
Overall absence
29.7%
Persistent absence
1,520
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Discovery Academy
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Discovery Academy
What are GCSE results like at Discovery Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Discovery Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 33.5. 22% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Discovery Academy's Ofsted rating?
Discovery Academy was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Discovery Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Discovery Academy is oversubscribed, Stoke-on-Trent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Discovery Academy?
Discovery Academy was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Discovery Academy?
Classes at Discovery Academy average 25.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Discovery Academy?
Discovery Academy has around 1435 pupils on roll. 52% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Discovery Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Discovery Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 16 places, 9 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Discovery Academy?
9.3% of sessions were missed at Discovery Academy in 2024/25. 29.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Discovery Academy?
Apply through Stoke-on-Trent's coordinated admissions process, naming Discovery Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Discovery Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Stoke-on-Trent is 12.5 (the median across 116 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Discovery Academy?
Discovery Academy is at Discovery Drive, Bentilee, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST2 0GA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)