Stratford School Academy

Stratford School Academy is a large, inclusive secondary school operating across two sites, with a very high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and a specially resourced provision for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder. The school performs strongly across all inspected areas: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing are all judged to be at the strong standard. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils achieve excellent outcomes, including above-average national examination results and Progress 8, and disadvantaged pupils consistently outperform their non-disadvantaged peers nationally in English, mathematics and science. Attendance is a notable strength, with rates above the national average and persistent absence consistently below. Pupils behave calmly and respectfully, disruption is rare, and pupils who need additional behaviour support benefit from bespoke, well-taught provision. The curriculum is broad, ambitious and consistently well taught, with a strong focus on reading, vocabulary, handwriting and mathematical knowledge. Inclusion is at the heart of the school, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils, and vulnerable pupils are well supported to learn and thrive. Leaders are highly knowledgeable, reflective and ambitious, and staff benefit from a high-quality professional learning programme. Personal development, enrichment and careers education are strengths, and there is a strong culture of care. The main next step is to ensure that staff joining the school are swiftly supported to understand and embed the school’s pedagogical approaches, so that the consistency of high-quality teaching and learning continues across all subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve excellent outcomes, with attainment and progress above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils consistently outperform non-disadvantaged peers nationally in English, mathematics and science.
• Attendance is above the national average and persistent absence is consistently below.
• Pupils behave calmly and respectfully, with rare disruption to lessons.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and carefully sequenced so new learning builds on prior knowledge.
• Teaching is consistently strong, with clear routines, strong subject knowledge and responsive checks for understanding.
• Reading, vocabulary, handwriting and mathematical knowledge are effective priorities across the school.
• Inclusion is central, with precise support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils.
• The specialist resource provision and small bespoke classes effectively support pupils with complex needs.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding well, including accelerated music and specialist Saturday mathematics and science sessions.
• Leadership at all levels is knowledgeable, ambitious, reflective and focused on improvement.
• Staff benefit from a high-quality professional learning programme closely matched to school priorities.
• Governors provide focused support and challenge and understand subject strengths and areas for improvement.
• Personal development is embedded, including safety, democracy, different faiths and fundamental British values.
• Careers education is a notable strength, preparing pupils well for ambitious next steps.
• Enrichment days, clubs, trips and leadership roles broaden pupils’ experiences.
• There is a strong culture of care, with trusted adult support, mentoring and counselling.

Areas for Improvement

• New staff are not yet consistently and swiftly supported to understand and embed the school’s pedagogical approaches, which can limit consistency of high-quality teaching across all subjects.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Stratford School Academy attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 13.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.6% of pupils at Stratford School Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Stratford School Academy had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 5.6% of pupils at Stratford School Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 10 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Stratford School Academy received £10,376 and spent £10,057 for each of its 1,480 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,070,000 (£1,399 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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What is Stratford School Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Stratford School Academy is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Stratford School Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Stratford School Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Stratford School Academy have?

Stratford School Academy has 1,477 pupils on roll.

What age range does Stratford School Academy cover?

Stratford School Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Stratford School Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.0, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Stratford School Academy?

Stratford School Academy is at Upton Lane, Forest Gate, London, E7 9PR.