Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy

Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy has made substantial progress since its previous inspection, when it was judged inadequate, and inspectors confirmed it no longer requires special measures. Pupils are proud of their school and feel a strong sense of belonging. Behaviour has improved significantly, personal development is strong, and leadership and early years provision are effective. The school is part of St Bart’s Multi-Academy Trust, which has driven improvement effectively, and staff feel well supported.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud of their school and have a strong sense of belonging.
• Behaviour has improved significantly, with lessons no longer disrupted and pupils kinder to one another.
• The broad and ambitious curriculum is well organised and clearly sequenced.
• Pupils with SEND are central to the school’s thinking, with early identification and individual learning programmes.
• Reading is a priority, with a wide range of texts and well-taught early reading.
• Personal development is strong, including trips, clubs and leadership opportunities.
• Staff feel well supported by the school and trust, with workload and wellbeing considered.
• Trust leadership has driven school improvement effectively.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Early years provision helps children learn routines and develop socially and emotionally from Nursery.

Areas for Improvement

• Writing is not developed well enough across the curriculum.
• Pupils have too few opportunities to think hard and produce carefully constructed written responses in subjects.
• The structured programme for regular subject-based writing has not yet been implemented.
• Some teachers do not consistently check that pupils have understood the intended learning.
• Misconceptions and gaps in learning can continue because teachers do not always adapt how learning is presented.
• Some pupils struggling with early reading are not consistently corrected on letter-sound pronunciation.

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 Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.4% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy 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 Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.1% 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, 13.1% of pupils at Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy received £6,978 and spent £7,233 for each of its 390 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £260,000 (£666 per pupil).

Across all 23 schools of St Bart'S Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,493 and spending £7,753 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

Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy is part of St Bart'S Multi Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Priory CofE Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Kingsland CofE Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Belgrave St Bartholomew's Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Knutton St Marys CofE Academy Newcastle Under Lyme
• Abbey Hill Academy & College Stoke-On-Trent
• Park Hall Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Saint Nathaniel's Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Weston Junior Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Weston Infant Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St John's CofE Primary Academy Newcastle

What is Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy have?

Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy has 343 pupils on roll.

What age range does Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy cover?

Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 42% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy?

Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy is at Boothen Old Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 4EE.