Penkridge Middle School

Penkridge Middle School is a smaller-than-average middle school within Penk Valley Academy Trust, serving around 500 pupils. It was inspected in July 2026, and safeguarding standards are met. The school’s strongest work is in attendance, behaviour and personal development: pupils attend well above national averages, behaviour is calm and respectful, and pupils benefit from a well-planned programme that prepares them for life in modern Britain. Pupils are proud, safe and happy, and staff know them well. Elsewhere, the school is performing securely but with clear areas to sharpen. The curriculum is broad and coherently sequenced, teaching is typically effective, and inclusion work is thoughtful, with strong support for pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. However, teaching adaptations and assessment use are not consistently strong enough; in some lessons pupils move on before knowledge is secure, and errors or misconceptions are not always addressed promptly. Writing remains a priority because outcomes are below national averages, and disadvantaged pupils’ achievement—particularly in writing and the combined reading, writing and mathematics measure—is weaker and has widened in recent years. Leadership and governance are reflective and well informed, staff feel supported, and the trust provides effective challenge and support. The next steps focus on making teaching and assessment more consistently responsive, ensuring prior learning is built on securely, and improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and writing across the curriculum.

Strengths

• Highly successful attendance culture, with attendance consistently above national averages and improving for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• High expectations for behaviour are embedded through the ‘PMS Way’, with pupils polite, respectful and rarely disruptive.
• Pupils are safe and happy, are well known by staff, and say no pupil is invisible at the school.
• Bullying is rare and, when it occurs, is dealt with quickly by staff.
• A detailed, well-planned and progressive personal development and wellbeing programme prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils confidently discuss protected characteristics, British values, democracy, online safety, finance and relationship and sex education.
• A wide range of clubs, trips and leadership opportunities develops pupils’ talents and interests, with participation tracked to include disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Strong pastoral support helps pupils with wellbeing concerns and transition to high school.
• Pupils’ preparation for future education, employment and training is well considered, including local employer partnerships.
• The curriculum is varied, balanced and coherently sequenced with first and high schools.
• Teachers typically have clear subject knowledge and deliver intended learning well.
• Leaders have strengthened numeracy and reading support for pupils at risk of falling behind.
• Inclusion work is effective, with early identification of needs, strong external partnerships and specific SEND training for staff.
• Funding and support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils known to social care are well thought out and equitable.
• Leaders know the school well, are reflective and support staff workload and wellbeing.
• Governors and trustees provide robust support and challenge and ensure resources are used in pupils’ best interests.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching adaptations are inconsistent, and in some lessons pupils move on before knowledge is securely embedded.
• Assessment is not consistently used to identify and address errors and misconceptions promptly.
• Pupils do not always build successfully on prior learning in lessons.
• Writing remains a priority because teacher-assessed writing outcomes are below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ achievement is weaker, particularly in writing and the combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.
• The disadvantage gap has widened in recent years for combined reading, writing and mathematics and for writing.
• Some pupils misspell or misunderstand key vocabulary in their books.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as they have historically, although leaders are working to close gaps.

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 Penkridge Middle School attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 4.0% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Penkridge Middle School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Penkridge Middle School had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.8% 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, 14.3% of pupils at Penkridge Middle School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 Penkridge Middle School received £6,904 and spent £7,141 for each of its 500 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £178,000 (£356 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Penk Valley Academy Trust, income was £7,287 and spending £7,447 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 Stafford · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Penkridge Middle School is part of Penk Valley Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Marshbrook First School Stafford
• Wolgarston High School Stafford
• Princefield First School Stafford
• The Rural Enterprise Academy Penkridge
• St Mary and St Chad CofE First School Stafford
• St John's CofE First School Stafford

What is Penkridge Middle School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Penkridge Middle School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Penkridge Middle School last inspected by Ofsted?

Penkridge Middle School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Penkridge Middle School have?

Penkridge Middle School has 509 pupils on roll.

What age range does Penkridge Middle School cover?

Penkridge Middle School for pupils aged 9 to 13.

What are Penkridge Middle School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Penkridge Middle School?

Penkridge Middle School is at Marsh Lane, Penkridge, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST19 5BW.