Sir William Stanier School, Crewe

Ofsted's report card from its 28 April 2026 inspection grades Sir William Stanier School on 6 areas: 2 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in leadership."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed a comprehensive programme of personal development."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Historical weaknesses in the design and teaching of the curriculum have resulted in pupils' achievement in national examinations being much lower than average."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Pupils' attendance to school is significantly below the national average."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The design of the curriculum and how consistently it is delivered are improving across the school."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Teachers do not consistently use appropriate strategies to reduce pupils' barriers to learning."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is ambitious, well-designed and consistently well implemented"; "Leaders should support teachers to use the information from their checks on pupils' understanding to design teaching activities that close gaps in pupils' knowledge. This will reduce pupils' barriers to learning, secure their knowledge over time, and help to raise their attainment"; "Leaders should ensure that behaviour rules and routines are consistently embedded so that pupils are better engaged in their learning"; "Leaders should continue their work in reducing school absence for all groups of pupils so that attendance figures improve to be in line with the national average".

From the headteacher's welcome: "The opportunity to educate other people's children is a rare privilege, bringing with it a huge responsibility to provide the best possible education as we aim to prepare young people for happiness and success in their adult lives."

In 2026, pupils at Sir William Stanier School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 27.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.1 in Cheshire East and 47 across England.

10% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Cheshire East and 47% in England.

That is down from 28.4 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.9: 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 24.7, against 29.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 4.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 95 families put Sir William Stanier School as their first choice and 152 named it as one of their preferences, for 124 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Sir William Stanier School are Cheshire Studio School (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 24); Crewe Engineering and Design UTC (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 31.6); Ruskin Community High School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.2); and The Oaks Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 32.6).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Sir William Stanier School.

Sir William Stanier School is one of 15 schools run by The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.8 in 2024/25.

108 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sir William Stanier School (as of September 2025): 32% would recommend the school, 37% say their child is happy there and 28% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (47%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (28%).

Of the 113 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 73% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 70% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

47.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 192 pupils (30.3%) received SEN support and 57 (9%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Crewe Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Shops (ne-bound), 240 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 322 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cheshire East (61), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Sir William Stanier School issued 1282 suspensions, 186.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 13 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Sir William Stanier School are Monks Coppenhall Academy (0.4 miles), Brierley Primary School (0.5 miles), Hungerford Primary Academy (0.5 miles) and Beechwood Primary School and Nursery (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.