Walton Hall Academy, Stafford

Ofsted's report card from its 15 September 2026 inspection grades Walton Hall Academy on 7 areas: 3 strong standard and 4 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "The school rightly prides itself on the depth of understanding that leaders and staff have of each pupil's special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders place a strong emphasis on pupils' personal development and wellbeing."

Post-16 provision - Strong standard. "There is a palpable enthusiasm among staff and students in the post-16 provision following its recent move to a dedicated town-centre site."

Achievement - Expected standard. "On the whole, pupils achieve well in their academic and vocational work."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "When pupils are absent, leaders have a detailed understanding of the reasons why."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed a curriculum that sets out the intended learning across different pathways and subjects."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders in the school and across the trust understand the strengths and next steps for the school."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should provide staff with the support and training they need to embed consistently high-quality teaching that reflects the school's ambitious curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure that the high expectations leaders have of pupils' behaviour are universally applied across the school day, including during breaktimes".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Walton Hall Academy where every student is valued and treated as an individual. Walton Hall is situated across two sites. The first is our main site that is based in a rural setting just outside of Eccleshall in Staffordshire."

The nearest other special schools to Walton Hall Academy are Marshlands School (4.1 miles, Good); Greenhall (4.1 miles); and Achieve Beyond Schools, Stafford (5.4 miles).

Walton Hall Academy is one of 31 schools run by The Shaw Education Trust, an academy trust.

10 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Walton Hall Academy (as of September 2025): 70% would recommend the school, 70% say their child is happy there and 40% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (80%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (40%).

Of the 27 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 7% to a further education college.

47.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 5.8% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.

Almost every pupil at Walton Hall Academy has an education, health and care plan (223 of 223 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.

The nearest railway station is Norton Bridge Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.

3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Walton Hall School (opposite), 240 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Walton Hall Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 5 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and other crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86).

In 2024/25, Walton Hall Academy issued 4 suspensions, 1.9 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.