Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy, Stoke-on-Trent
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Stoke-on-Trent, part of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 27th-highest of the 103 schools in Stoke-on-Trent with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in detail
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Choosing your child's school is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. As a Catholic school, the basis of our mission is to value and respect every person as an individual, made in the image of Christ. Our school mission statement is " We are the many hearts that follow Jesus, the one accord."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 77% in Staffordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 87% in reading and 53% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy
For September 2026 entry, 7 families put Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy as their first choice and 12 named it as one of their preferences, for 7 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy are Squirrel Hayes First School (0.2 miles, Good); Kingsfield First School (0.3 miles, Good); Knypersley First School (0.5 miles, Outstanding); and Oxhey First School (0.8 miles, Outstanding).
Squirrel Hayes First SchoolKingsfield First SchoolKnypersley First SchoolOxhey First School
The trust
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is one of 64 schools run by St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.
All 64 schools in St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust
What parents say
30 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy (as of September 2025): 80% would recommend the school, 87% say their child is happy there and 70% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (70%).
Who goes there
38.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 11.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%) and Asian (5%).
In 2026, 7 pupils (7.4%) received SEN support and 4 (4.2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kidsgrove Rail Station, about 3.5 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is William Avenue (opposite), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy are James Bateman Middle School (0.3 miles), Biddulph High School (0.4 miles) and Woodhouse Academy (1.1 miles).
James Bateman Middle SchoolBiddulph High SchoolWoodhouse Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from June 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a caring school where every child is known well by staff and encouraged to achieve their best. The school excels at providing a rich range of experiences beyond the classroom, including trips to Parliament and France, while maintaining exemplary behaviour standards. Parents value the school's engagement with families and the high-quality, well-rounded education it delivers.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary behaviour and conduct - pupils treat each other with respect and work hard in lessons
- Outstanding personal development with extensive clubs, trips, and pupil leadership opportunities
- Strong early reading programme with systematic phonics teaching and rapid support for struggling readers
- Precise identification of pupils with SEND and detailed adaptations to support their learning
- Exceptionally high pupil attendance through proactive family support
Areas for Improvement
- Some recently revised curriculum areas, including in early years, show variable impact with occasional less secure learning
- Need to embed new curriculums further to ensure all pupils achieve consistently well across all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, trips to Parliament, trip to France, local activities, university courses for pupils, pupil leadership groups
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is a small primary school where pupils thrive thanks to high-quality provision and many enrichment opportunities. The school has maintained its strong reputation with outstanding behaviour, personal development, and leadership, while education quality is rated as good.
At a Glance
38.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
30 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 87% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 53% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 73% to 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
29.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy
Before and after school care
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Staffordshire
Term dates
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Staffordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 7 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 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 Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy
Will you get a place at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Staffordshire 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
90%
Near capacity
95 pupils
105 places
10 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 Staffordshire council
Places available
10,768
Applications
8,344
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
7
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
11.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
95
Total Pupils
44
Boys
51
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
13.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,452
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,399
Per pupil
£715k
Total funding
£67k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
14.0%
Persistent absence
93
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy
Questions parents ask about Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy
What are SATs results like at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
Of the pupils at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
Classes at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy has around 95 pupils on roll. 39% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
3.9% of sessions were missed at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in 2024/25. 14% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 7 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy?
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is at Woodland Street, Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST8 6LW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)