Alexandra Infants' School

Alexandra Infants’ School is a happy, safe and welcoming school where pupils work hard and most meet the school’s high expectations. The inspection found strong provision across early years, reading, SEND support and leadership, with personal development standing out as exceptionally well planned and far-reaching. Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment, community projects and opportunities that help them become responsible, active citizens. The school is part of The New Guild Multi Academy Trust and serves children aged 3 to 7; many children join with communication and language gaps and a high proportion have SEND, which the school addresses through a language-rich curriculum and highly personalised support. Safeguarding is effective, attendance is a high priority, and leaders are tenacious in reducing regular absence. Trustees check the school’s work diligently, staff well-being and workload are considered carefully, and parents are positive about the school. The previous inspection grade was requires improvement, and this graded inspection did not award an overall effectiveness grade under the current framework. The main areas for improvement are precise explanation of subject-specific vocabulary and consistent application of the behaviour policy in lessons. Where vocabulary is not explained clearly enough, some pupils are unsure of key terms and find new concepts harder to grasp; where behaviour expectations are not upheld consistently, some pupils miss explanations or instructions and their learning is affected.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and know adults will look after them.
• The school has high expectations and does not see pupils’ backgrounds or needs as barriers to learning.
• Pupils are typically polite, respectful and well mannered, with positive relationships with adults.
• Personal development is an exceptionally high priority through the Alexandra Promise.
• The school provides a vast, carefully planned and evaluated range of enrichment opportunities.
• Pupils learn to become responsible and active citizens and make a real impact in the local community.
• Children get off to a flying start in Nursery and Reception through a carefully thought-out early years curriculum.
• The language-rich curriculum helps close communication and language gaps for children joining with SEND and EAL needs.
• Reading is a high priority, with a well-selected phonics programme and careful tracking of pupils’ progress.
• High-quality extra support helps pupils falling behind in phonics to catch up speedily.
• Staff have a deep understanding of pupils with SEND and identify needs early and accurately.
• Highly personalised support and curriculum adaptation meet pupils’ specific needs well.
• Staff distinguish effectively between SEND and English as an additional language needs and support both.
• The curriculum is carefully designed to build on prior learning and help pupils remember key knowledge.
• The school is tenacious in improving attendance and works with partners such as the attendance hub and local Imam.
• Trustees receive useful information, check how well all groups are learning and provide support and challenge.
• The school carefully considers staff well-being and workload.
• Parents are positive about the work of the school.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always explain subject-specific vocabulary with enough precision, leaving some pupils unsure of key terms.
• The school’s behaviour policy is not applied consistently in some lessons, affecting some pupils’ learning.
• Some pupils miss key explanations or instructions when behaviour expectations are not upheld consistently.

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 Alexandra Infants' School attended 89.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 37.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Alexandra Infants' School 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 Alexandra Infants' School had 13.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 19.9% of pupils at Alexandra Infants' School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.4% 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 Alexandra Infants' School received £8,878 and spent £8,500 for each of its 171 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £65,000 (£380 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of The New Guild Trust, income was £8,269 and spending £7,953 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 Stoke-On-Trent · Stoke-on-Trent local authority: places and applications

Alexandra Infants' School is part of The New Guild Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Alexandra Junior School Stoke-On-Trent
• Jackfield Infant School Stoke-On-Trent
• Moorpark Junior School Stoke-On-Trent

What is Alexandra Infants' School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Alexandra Infants' School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Alexandra Infants' School last inspected by Ofsted?

Alexandra Infants' School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Alexandra Infants' School have?

Alexandra Infants' School has 171 pupils on roll.

What age range does Alexandra Infants' School cover?

Alexandra Infants' School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Alexandra Infants' School?

Alexandra Infants' School is at Melville Road, Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST3 4PZ.