Roaches School, Stoke-on-Trent
Roaches School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Stoke-on-Trent. It was rated Inadequate at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2026 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Inadequate (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Roaches School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Roaches School are Watermill School (2.7 miles, Good); Bluebell School Ltd (3 miles, Outstanding); The Oaks (3.6 miles, Good); and The Nest (3.9 miles, Good).
Who goes there
In 2026, 3 pupils (7.5%) received SEN support and 37 (92.5%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kidsgrove Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Knypersley First School (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Roaches School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: not effective
Independent school standards
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education), Part 2 (pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development), Part 3 (welfare, health and safety), Part 5 (premises and accommodation), Part 6 (information for parents), Part 7 (handling of complaints) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
- Part 1: quality of educationNot met
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentNot met
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyNot met
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationNot met
- Part 6: information for parentsNot met
- Part 7: handling of complaintsNot met
- Part 8: leadership and managementNot met
Progress-monitoring inspection, 24 March 2026: The school did not meet all the standards Ofsted checked.
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has made impressive improvements in keeping pupils safe and creating a positive, well-managed learning environment. Behaviour has improved significantly, and pupils report feeling safe with staff who are skilled at managing challenging situations. The new leadership team has demonstrated a strong commitment to welfare and safety standards.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding arrangements are now effective with robust record-keeping and staff training in place
- Behaviour has improved significantly with staff trained in de-escalation and clear behaviour systems implemented
- Health and safety standards have been addressed including fire safety, first aid provision, and site security
- Anti-bullying strategy is now effective with rare incidents being handled appropriately
- New leadership has prioritised essential welfare and safety improvements
Areas for Improvement
- Secondary curriculum lacks breadth and does not clearly identify what knowledge pupils should learn
- Teaching quality in secondary phase remains weak with staff needing more training and support
- Assessment systems are not detailed enough to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge
- Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development programme has not been implemented
- Careers education and guidance is at an early stage and does not yet provide pupils with impartial information
- Attendance is not being recorded in line with legal requirements
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is now effective - the school has implemented proper policies, trained all staff, kept robust records, and staff respond quickly to concerns with external agency involvement when needed.
Extracurricular Activities
School council
Roaches School is an independent school that does not currently meet all required standards. While the school has made significant progress in safeguarding, behaviour, and health and safety since September 2025, the quality of education in the secondary phase remains ineffective.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Roaches School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
69%
Available places
40 pupils
58 places
18 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
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
8,807
Applications
7,681
Got 1st preference
91.9%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All secondary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
Independent school Progress Monitoring inspection
Outcome: the school did not meet all the standards Ofsted checked.
Independent School standard inspection
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education), Part 2 (pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development), Part 3 (welfare, health and safety), Part 5 (premises and accommodation), Part 6 (information for parents), Part 7 (handling of complaints) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
37
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Roaches School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
40
Total Pupils
37
Boys
3
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Roaches School
Questions parents ask about Roaches School
What are GCSE results like at Roaches School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Roaches School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Roaches School's Ofsted rating?
Roaches School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2025, it was rated Inadequate.
Does Roaches School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in September 2025, Roaches School did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education), Part 2 (pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development), Part 3 (welfare, health and safety), Part 5 (premises and accommodation), Part 6 (information for parents), Part 7 (handling of complaints) and Part 8 (leadership and management). At a later progress-monitoring inspection in March 2026, the school did not meet all the standards Ofsted checked.
How many pupils go to Roaches School?
Roaches School has around 40 pupils on roll.
Does Roaches School have specialist SEN provision?
Roaches School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Roaches School?
Roaches School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Roaches School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Roaches School?
Roaches School is at Tunstall Road, Knypersley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST8 7AB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)