Squirrel Hayes First School, Stoke-on-Trent
Squirrel Hayes First School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Stoke-on-Trent, part of Biddulph Schools Partnership Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2024 did not change this grade. It was 41% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below 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
Squirrel Hayes First School in detail
Squirrel Hayes First School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Squirrel Hayes First School where 'every child' and 'everyone' matters. It is with great pleasure that the children, staff and Governors welcome you and your child to Squirrel Hayes First School."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Squirrel Hayes First School
For September 2026 entry, 10 families put Squirrel Hayes First School as their first choice and 21 named it as one of their preferences, for 11 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Squirrel Hayes First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Squirrel Hayes First School are Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 83% maths); Kingsfield First School (0.4 miles, Good); Knypersley First School (0.6 miles, Outstanding); and Oxhey First School (0.7 miles, Outstanding).
Our Lady of Grace Catholic AcademyKingsfield First SchoolKnypersley First SchoolOxhey First School
The trust
Squirrel Hayes First School is one of 2 schools run by Biddulph Schools Partnership Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
51% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 11 pupils (21.6%) received SEN support and 6 (11.8%) 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
Squirrel Hayes First School had 5 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Squirrel Hayes First School.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Barley Mow PH (opposite), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Squirrel Hayes First School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Squirrel Hayes First School are Biddulph High School (0.4 miles), James Bateman Middle School (0.5 miles) and Woodhouse Academy (1.1 miles).
Biddulph High SchoolJames Bateman Middle SchoolWoodhouse Academy
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 agoThis judgement is from September 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
51.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
12.8
Avg class size
8.0
Infant (KS1)
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Squirrel Hayes First School
Term dates
Squirrel Hayes First School is a foundation school, 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 Squirrel Hayes First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Squirrel Hayes First School 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
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 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 Squirrel Hayes First School
Will you get a place at Squirrel Hayes First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Squirrel Hayes First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Squirrel Hayes First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Squirrel Hayes First School.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Squirrel Hayes First School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Squirrel Hayes First School 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
41%
Available places
61 pupils
150 places
89 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(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
11
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
33.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
51
Total Pupils
27
Boys
24
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
10.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,184
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,510
Per pupil
£539k
Total funding
£38k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
20.4%
Persistent absence
54
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
Squirrel Hayes First School
Questions parents ask about Squirrel Hayes First School
What is Squirrel Hayes First School's Ofsted rating?
Squirrel Hayes First School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Squirrel Hayes First School?
No fixed boundary. When Squirrel Hayes First School is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Squirrel Hayes First School?
Squirrel Hayes First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 41% of its 150 places.
How big are the classes at Squirrel Hayes First School?
Classes at Squirrel Hayes First School average 12.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Squirrel Hayes First School?
Squirrel Hayes First School has around 51 pupils on roll. 51% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Squirrel Hayes First School?
7% of sessions were missed at Squirrel Hayes First School in 2024/25. 20.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Squirrel Hayes First School?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Squirrel Hayes First School 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.
How many road collisions happen near Squirrel Hayes First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Squirrel Hayes First School?
Squirrel Hayes First School is at Springfield Road, Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST8 7DF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)