Stafford Manor High School, Stafford

Ofsted's report card from its inspection grades Stafford Manor High School on 6 areas: 2 expected standard, 3 needs attention and 1 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders monitor pupils' attendance rigorously."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school personal development programme is well sequenced and reflects the school values of community, aspiration, resilience and endeavour."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Since the previous full inspection, leaders have worked quickly to strengthen provision for pupils at the early stages of reading and writing."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "The school accurately assesses and identifies needs that pupils may have."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Since the previous full inspection, leaders have prioritised the right things in the right order."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Since the last full inspection the school has worked well to address the identified shortcomings relating to pupils' achievement."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders need to ensure that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, have the support they need to achieve their full potential and achieve the qualifications they need to move on to ambitious next steps"; "Leaders and governors need to focus their actions tightly on the key priorities and evaluate the impact of their work rigorously so improvements are sustained across the school"; "Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is adapted consistently well in all subjects and across all key stages to meet the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that all pupils can be successful"; "Leaders need to strengthen pupils' foundational literacy by ensuring that teachers across the curriculum systematically identify and address weaknesses in pupils' handwriting, spelling and grammar"; "Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is delivered effectively in each subject and across all key stages so that pupils know more and remember more over time"; "Leaders need to ensure that work to improve pupils' attendance is maintained so that the improving trend is sustained".

In 2026, pupils at Stafford Manor High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 35.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.7 in Staffordshire and 47 across England.

22% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in Staffordshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 30.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -1.13: 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 31.5, against 37.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 61 families put Stafford Manor High School as their first choice and 115 named it as one of their preferences, for 64 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 Stafford Manor High School are Stafford Manor High School (under 0.1 miles); King Edward VI High School (0.9 miles, Attainment 8 39.9); Blessed William Howard Catholic School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 55.1); and Walton High School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.3).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Stafford Manor High School.

46 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Stafford Manor High School (as of April 2026): 59% would recommend the school, 63% say their child is happy there and 31% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (67%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (31%).

Of the 83 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 80% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 7 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 43% went on to university or other higher education and 43% into work.

44.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 8.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Mixed (7%).

The nearest railway station is Stafford Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Stafford Manor High School (adjacent), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Stafford Manor High School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 184 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Stafford Manor High School issued 431 suspensions, 96 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 6 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Stafford Manor High School are Flash Ley Primary School (0.2 miles), Burton Manor Primary School (0.3 miles), Silkmore Primary Academy (0.4 miles) and Rowley Park Primary Academy (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.