John Taylor Free School

John Taylor Free School is performing well overall, receiving a 'Good' grade for several aspects, including the quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management. As a relatively new school, it has seen rapid growth in student enrollment and fosters a diverse learning environment. The curriculum offered is ambitious, broad, and relevant to the students' needs, enabling them to achieve well academically and engage in a variety of enrichment activities. There is a strong focus on supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring they are included and receive quality education.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum
• Positive and inclusive school environment
• Strong support for pupils with SEND
• Effective identification and support for struggling readers
• High levels of student engagement in enrichment activities

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistency in behaviour management among staff
• Some students do not always exhibit the expected positive behaviour

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 John Taylor Free School attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.2% 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, 12.0% of pupils at John Taylor Free School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 10 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 John Taylor Free School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.9% 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, 14.1% of pupils at John Taylor Free School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.4% 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 John Taylor Free School received £7,746 and spent £7,919 for each of its 1,332 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,379,000 (£1,036 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of John Taylor Mat, income was £7,398 and spending £7,462 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 Burton-On-Trent · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

John Taylor Free School is part of John Taylor Mat, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School Burton-On-Trent
• Rykneld Primary School Burton-On-Trent
• Shobnall Primary & Nursery School Burton-On-Trent
• All Saints CofE (C) Primary School Burton-On-Trent
• The Mosley Academy Burton-On-Trent
• Thomas Russell Infants School Burton-On-Trent
• John Taylor High School Burton-On-Trent
• Walton On Trent CofE Primary and Nursery School Swadlincote
• Paulet High School Burton-On-Trent
• Winshill Village Primary and Nursery School Burton-On-Trent

What is John Taylor Free School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for John Taylor Free School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was John Taylor Free School last inspected by Ofsted?

John Taylor Free School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does John Taylor Free School have?

John Taylor Free School has 1,315 pupils on roll.

What age range does John Taylor Free School cover?

John Taylor Free School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are John Taylor Free School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.1, and 38% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is John Taylor Free School?

John Taylor Free School is at Branston Road, Tatenhill, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 9SA.