The Valiant School, Stoke-on-Trent
The Valiant School is an independent 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 Valiant School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to The Valiant School are Phoenix Independent School (1.8 miles, Good); Sporting Stars Academy (2.1 miles, Outstanding); The Registry (2.4 miles, Good); and Excellence Girls Academy (2.6 miles, Good).
Phoenix Independent SchoolSporting Stars AcademyThe RegistryExcellence Girls Academy
Who goes there
In 2026, 7 pupils (46.7%) received SEN support and 8 (53.3%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Platform 1, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Burslem College (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Valiant School 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 Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Valiant School excels at creating a safe, inclusive environment where every child feels valued and accepted. Teachers provide relentless encouragement and support, helping pupils achieve well from their individual starting points. The school's personalised approach and strong focus on rebuilding confidence through small steps have proven particularly successful in getting pupils' education back on track.
Key Strengths
- Warm, welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and valued with consistently low bullying and unkindness
- Excellent behaviour support using restorative practices and highly respectful staff-pupil relationships
- Careful personalised induction process that quickly identifies pupils' needs and gaps in knowledge
- Broad, engaging curriculum tailored to pupils' short stays, with strong focus on phonics and mathematics
- Relentless approach to attendance with daily home collection building effective family partnerships
Areas for Improvement
- Staff sometimes do not emphasise key phonics and mathematics knowledge effectively, meaning pupils do not learn these basics as securely as they could
- Staff do not always identify pupils' small steps in learning carefully enough in core subjects, particularly for those who find learning difficult
- Need to make better use of available learning time to maximise practice and reinforcement of key facts
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with careful checks on staff suitability and a strong safeguarding culture that prioritises pupils' interests.
Extracurricular Activities
Library visits, park trips, museum visits, activities in mainstream school with which the school shares a site
The Valiant School is a specialist school for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, aiming to re-engage them with learning and support their return to mainstream education. It has been rated Good overall with positive relationships and a strong moral purpose at its core.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Keep up with The Valiant School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 13 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
2 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
75%
Available places
15 pupils
20 places
5 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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
7
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
15
Total Pupils
15
Boys
0
Girls
2026 academic year
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
The Valiant School
Questions parents ask about The Valiant School
What is The Valiant School's Ofsted rating?
The Valiant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024.
Does The Valiant School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in November 2024, The Valiant School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to The Valiant School?
The Valiant School has around 15 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to The Valiant School?
The Valiant School 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 Valiant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 13 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 2 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 Valiant School?
The Valiant School is at May Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 1EL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)