Sun Academy Bradwell

Sun Academy Bradwell continues to perform well as a good school, demonstrating high aspirations for its pupils and fostering a positive learning environment. The school engages students effectively through a broad and ambitious curriculum, emphasizing reading from an early age and ensuring that behavior expectations are met. Pupils display a strong sense of community and are well-prepared for life outside of school, with a focus on safety, tolerance, and respect for diversity. Notably, the school has successfully improved attendance rates, indicating proactive measures to support families and students. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly concerning the support provided to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some teaching practices, especially related to early reading phonics instruction, require refinement to ensure all students achieve their full potential. These challenges are important for the school, given it is the first inspection since being judged as good in 2018, thus highlighting the need for continued vigilance and development.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit a strong engagement and 'can-do' attitude towards learning.
• Behavioral expectations are high, and pupils show respect towards each other and adults.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with careful planning enabling deep learning.
• Reading is prioritized, fostering a love for it among students from early years.
• Pupil attendance is high and improving due to tailored support.
• Effective support processes for pupils with SEND are in place, aided by the multi-academy trust.
• The school promotes physical and mental health effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• Support for some pupils with SEND is not consistently well matched to their needs.
• Staff do not always ensure pupils blend sounds accurately in reading, affecting fluency.

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 Sun Academy Bradwell attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 1.9% of pupils at Sun Academy Bradwell were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 Sun Academy Bradwell had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 18.6% of pupils at Sun Academy Bradwell were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Sun Academy Bradwell received £7,677 and spent £8,886 for each of its 161 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £29,000 (£178 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Academy Transformation Trust, income was £9,055 and spending £8,540 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newcastle-Under-Lyme · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Sun Academy Bradwell is part of Academy Transformation Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Star Academy, Sandyford Stoke-On-Trent
• Jubilee Academy Mossley Walsall
• Pool Hayes Academy Willenhall
• Phoenix Academy Walsall
• North Walsall Primary Academy Walsall
• Caldmore Primary Academy Walsall
• Bristnall Hall Academy Oldbury
• Sutton Community Academy Sutton-In-Ashfield
• The Queen Elizabeth Academy Atherstone
• The Dukeries Academy Newark

What is Sun Academy Bradwell's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sun Academy Bradwell is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Sun Academy Bradwell last inspected by Ofsted?

Sun Academy Bradwell was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Sun Academy Bradwell have?

Sun Academy Bradwell has 167 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sun Academy Bradwell cover?

Sun Academy Bradwell for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Sun Academy Bradwell's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sun Academy Bradwell?

Sun Academy Bradwell is at Cauldon Avenue, Bradwell, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 8JN.