The Cheadle Academy, Stoke-on-Trent
The Cheadle Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Stoke-on-Trent. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 14th-highest of the 23 schools in Stoke-on-Trent with published results, and 2,470th of 3,298 across England. It was 40% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
The Cheadle Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Cheadle Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.7 in Staffordshire and 47 across England.
31% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in Staffordshire and 47% in England.
That is up from 40 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.68: 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 32.9, against 43.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 17 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were History, Combined Science and Health Studies.
Getting a place at The Cheadle Academy
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put The Cheadle Academy as their first choice and 126 named it as one of their preferences, for 67 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Cheadle Academy are Painsley Catholic College (under 0.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 56.3); Blythe Bridge High School (3 miles, Attainment 8 42.9); and Moorside High School (4.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.5).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Cheadle Academy.
Painsley Catholic CollegeBlythe Bridge High SchoolMoorside High School
What parents say
54 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Cheadle Academy (as of September 2025): 72% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 52% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (85%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (52%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 103 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 80% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 60% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.
Of the 10 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 50% went on to university or other higher education.
Who goes there
2.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Kingsley & Froghall (Churnet Valley Railway), about 3 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cheadle Academy (adjacent), 110 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Cheadle Academy issued 221 suspensions, 55.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Cheadle Academy are Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School (0.2 miles), Cheadle Primary School (0.2 miles), St Giles' Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles) and St Thomas' Catholic Primary School (1.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Bishop Rawle CofE Primary SchoolCheadle Primary SchoolSt Giles' Catholic Primary SchoolSt Thomas' Catholic Primary School
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 destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a caring community where staff genuinely know and support each pupil. The ambitious curriculum is helping pupils achieve more, and the school goes beyond the classroom to offer debating, art, volleyball, and residential trips that broaden all pupils' experiences. With strong careers guidance and a real focus on pupil wellbeing, your child will be encouraged to reach their potential.
Key Strengths
- Welcoming environment with strong pastoral care and effective support for pupils who struggle
- Well-sequenced ambitious curriculum with effective reading strategy and positive impact on pupil progress
- Strong careers guidance and wide range of clubs, activities and trips available to all pupils
- Effective safeguarding with pupils knowing who to turn to and bullying resolved quickly
- New leadership team providing clear vision with focus on staff wellbeing
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers do not provide consistent, detailed feedback on how pupils can improve their work
- Information about pupils with SEND needs is not always precise enough, limiting how effectively teachers can adapt their teaching
- Some pupils with SEND support documents do not identify their specific learning needs clearly
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils feeling safe and knowing who to talk to about concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Debating, art, volleyball, residential trips, librarian roles, mental health ambassadors, school council, work experience
The Cheadle Academy is a welcoming and friendly secondary school where staff know pupils well and have high expectations for all. The school has maintained good standards and pupils now produce work of a higher quality than previously.
About
The Cheadle Academy is a coeducational secondary school with academy status located in Cheadle, Staffordshire in the Midlands area of England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
28.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
54 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.36 to -0.68 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 45.0 to 41.2 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 31% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 41.2 | 30.8% |
| Disadvantaged(14) | - | 32.9 | 0% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(51) | - | 43.5 | 39.2% |
| Boys(32) | - | 39.4 | 31.3% |
| Girls(33) | - | 42.9 | 30.3% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(64) | - | 41.5 | 31.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 103 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
221
Suspensions
55.53%
Suspension rate
61 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 398 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Cheadle Academy
Term dates
The Cheadle 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 The Cheadle Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Cheadle 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 The Cheadle Academy
Will you get a place at The Cheadle Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Cheadle Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Cheadle Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Cheadle Academy.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The Cheadle Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Cheadle 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
40%
Available places
395 pupils
1,000 places
605 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
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.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
73
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
23.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
380
Total Pupils
195
Boys
185
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,696
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,193
Per pupil
£3058k
Total funding
£114k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.7%
Overall absence
24.1%
Persistent absence
415
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about The Cheadle Academy
What are GCSE results like at The Cheadle Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Cheadle Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.2. 31% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Cheadle Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Cheadle Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Cheadle Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Cheadle 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 The Cheadle Academy?
The Cheadle Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 40% of its 1000 places.
How big are the classes at The Cheadle Academy?
Classes at The Cheadle Academy average 25.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Cheadle Academy?
The Cheadle Academy has around 380 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Cheadle Academy?
7.7% of sessions were missed at The Cheadle Academy in 2024/25. 24.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Cheadle Academy?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Cheadle Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Cheadle Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 The Cheadle Academy?
The Cheadle Academy is at Station Road, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST10 1LH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)