The Oaks, Stoke-on-Trent
The Oaks is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Stoke-on-Trent. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2024.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Oaks in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to The Oaks are The Nest (0.3 miles, Good); Watermill School (1 mile, Good); Alpha Learning Staffordshire (1.3 miles, Requires improvement); and North Road Academy (1.6 miles, Good).
The NestWatermill SchoolAlpha Learning StaffordshireNorth Road Academy
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at The Oaks has an education, health and care plan (60 of 60 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Longport Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Boulevard (opposite), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Oaks stands in is among the 10% most 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 · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils at this school genuinely have 'freedom to flourish'. Pupils are happy and feel safe because they are very well cared for and have positive relationships with the staff. Staff have an excellent understanding of pupils' individual needs. They make sure that they meet those needs throughout the school day.
The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. The curriculum is carefully planned and well organised. This ensures that there are no limits on what pupils can achieve. Pupils are highly engaged in their learning because staff make it interesting and easier to understand. Pupils are well supported to be successful. They complete work that is well matched to their ability. Pupils develop confidence when they succeed in their learning. They are rightly proud of how their reading is improving.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders are rigorous in all they do to drive school improvement. They constantly reflect on the quality of the education they provide for all their pupils. This includes not just the academic curriculum but every aspect of a pupil's experience during their time at the school. Leaders have introduced a new curriculum and ensured that staff have had a range of training to develop their expertise. As a result, there have been some significant improvements since the last inspection.
All pupils at the school have an education, health and care plan (EHC plan). The school ensures that staff have an accurate understanding of each pupil's special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school engages with parents and carers to gain a full understanding of each pupil's needs and interests. It also works closely with relevant external agencies, such as speech and language services, to get expert advice on how to best meet pupils' needs. Using the information from the EHC plans and external agencies, the school creates targets in an individual education plan. Staff work towards the targets set throughout the day. Their knowledge of each individual pupil's needs, combined with a carefully designed curriculum, ensures that pupils achieve well from their various starting points.
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Rated Good for
Quality of education.
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 The Oaks
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 27
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 21 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
6 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 Stoke-on-Trent is 12.5 (the median across 116 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
100%
Full
60 pupils
60 places
No 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 Stoke-on-Trent council
Places available
3,140
Applications
3,223
Got 1st preference
88.5%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Stoke-on-Trent council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
60
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Oaks 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
60
Total Pupils
48
Boys
12
Girls
2026 academic year
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Questions parents ask about The Oaks
What is The Oaks's Ofsted rating?
The Oaks was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024.
Does The Oaks meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in November 2024, The Oaks met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to The Oaks?
The Oaks has around 60 pupils on roll.
Does The Oaks have specialist SEN provision?
The Oaks is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to The Oaks?
The Oaks 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 The Oaks?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 21 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 6 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 Stoke-on-Trent is 12.5 (the median across 116 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Oaks?
The Oaks is at Phoenix House, Scotia Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 6FF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)