Sir Thomas Boughey Academy

Sir Thomas Boughey Academy is a smaller-than-average secondary school within Windsor Academy Trust, led by a headteacher appointed in September 2025. Inspectors found a school that is generally meeting expected standards, with safeguarding requirements met. Pupils feel safe, happy and supported in an inclusive, nurturing environment, and there have been clear improvements in attendance, behaviour and the consistency of routines. Strengths include a broad, well-sequenced curriculum; effective teaching supported by subject expertise; strong inclusion for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND; and leadership that has improved culture, staff support and professional development. Personal development is a particular strength, with extensive extracurricular opportunities and strengthened careers education. The main concern is achievement. Published key stage 4 results are below national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils, and some pupils have historically been less well prepared for next steps. Leaders recognise this and current pupils are making more secure progress, but teaching quality is not yet consistently strong enough, and the school must embed improvements swiftly and continue removing barriers to attendance.

Strengths

• Clear, consistent behaviour systems have improved conduct and reduced suspensions.
• Attendance has improved and persistent absence is declining.
• A broad, well-sequenced curriculum supports learning across subjects.
• Teaching is typically effective, with secure subject expertise and useful retrieval and feedback.
• Inclusion is strong, with quick identification of need and tailored support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Leaders have created a safe, inclusive and nurturing school culture.
• Leadership has implemented evidence-informed professional development that supports staff and improves teaching.
• The trust and local community committee provide effective support and challenge.
• Personal development is comprehensive, including extensive extracurricular activities and student leadership.
• Careers education is well developed and pupils are informed about future pathways.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and well supported by staff.
• Safeguarding standards are met.
• Pupils generally make increasingly secure progress and benefit from high expectations.
• Destinations after 16 are strong.

Areas for Improvement

• Published key stage 4 outcomes are below national averages across a range of subjects.
• Disadvantaged pupils underperform, with large attainment and progress gaps.
• Some pupils have not been well prepared for their next steps.
• Teaching quality remains variable, and lessons do not always match pupils' starting points.
• A small number of pupils do not achieve as highly as they could in lessons.
• Pupils' understanding of some personal development content, such as diversity, varies.
• Leaders must ensure staff have the subject and pedagogical knowledge to deliver the ambitious curriculum consistently.
• Improvement actions need to be implemented swiftly to raise achievement.
• Barriers to attendance still need to be addressed to sustain high attendance.

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 Sir Thomas Boughey Academy attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.0% 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, 9.4% of pupils at Sir Thomas Boughey Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Sir Thomas Boughey Academy had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.7% 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, 13.9% of pupils at Sir Thomas Boughey Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.8% 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 Sir Thomas Boughey Academy received £9,709 and spent £8,972 for each of its 449 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £242,000 (£538 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Windsor Academy Trust, income was £7,909 and spending £7,979 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 · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Sir Thomas Boughey Academy is part of Windsor Academy Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Newcastle Academy Newcastle Under Lyme
• Clayton Hall Academy Newcastle-Under-Lyme
• Milton Primary Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Greenways Primary Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Cheslyn Hay Academy Walsall
• Great Wyrley Academy Walsall
• Rivers Primary Academy Walsall
• Goldsmith Primary Academy Harden
• Kingswinford Academy Kingswinford
• Windsor Olympus Academy Birmingham

What is Sir Thomas Boughey Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sir Thomas Boughey Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Sir Thomas Boughey Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Sir Thomas Boughey Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Sir Thomas Boughey Academy have?

Sir Thomas Boughey Academy has 445 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sir Thomas Boughey Academy cover?

Sir Thomas Boughey Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Sir Thomas Boughey Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.8, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Sir Thomas Boughey Academy?

Sir Thomas Boughey Academy is at Station Road, Halmer End, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 8AP.