Cheslyn Hay Academy

Cheslyn Hay Academy is a larger-than-average secondary school within Windsor Academy Trust. This full inspection found safeguarding standards met and the school performing at the expected standard overall, with post-16 provision judged strong. The school is highly inclusive and aspirational, with a clear ethos of 'be here, be great, be you', and leaders are deeply committed to serving the local community. The sixth form is a notable strength: students are role models, follow an ambitious curriculum, and are well prepared for university, apprenticeships and employment. Across the main school, pupils feel safe, behaviour is calm and respectful, attendance is improving, and persistent absence has reduced. Inclusion is effective, with strong support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and leadership, governance and trust oversight are robust. Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum and an extensive personal development programme. There are still areas to improve. Teaching adaptations are not consistently effective for pupils who need more help or greater challenge, and feedback is not always precise enough to help pupils improve their work. In the past, a small number of subjects underperformed, and 2024/25 GCSE English and maths grade 5 outcomes were below national average. Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8 was also below national average in 2023/24, though leaders have taken action and gaps are closing. Leaders should ensure staff consistently use checks on learning to adapt teaching and provide precise feedback across all subjects.

Strengths

• Sixth-form provision is strong, with an ambitious curriculum and students acting as positive role models.
• Pupils are well prepared for their next steps through effective careers guidance and strong destination outcomes.
• The school is highly inclusive and supports pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils effectively.
• Pupils feel safe, and bullying is rare and resolved swiftly.
• Attendance is improving, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and persistent absence has reduced.
• The learning environment is calm and respectful, with positive pupil attitudes and improving behaviour.
• Leaders have established rigorous quality assurance and a clear, accurate view of the school's strengths.
• Governance and trust oversight are effective and hold leaders to account well.
• Personal development is carefully planned, with extensive enrichment, trips, clubs and pupil voice opportunities.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and value the attention given to their workload and work-life balance.
• Post-16 Applied General outcomes are consistently above national averages over time.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively to support attendance, tutoring and enrichment for disadvantaged pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently adapt learning well enough to support pupils who need more help or to challenge others to deepen their knowledge.
• Feedback is not always precise enough for pupils to know what they need to do to improve their work.
• In a small number of subjects, pupils have not achieved as well in the past, although leaders have taken effective action.
• 2024/25 GCSE English and maths grade 5 outcomes were below national average (32.2% compared with 45.4%).
• Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8 was below national average in 2023/24, and a disadvantage gap remains.
• A-level outcomes were below national average in 2023/24, though they were broadly in line and improving in 2024/25.

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 Cheslyn Hay Academy attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.9% 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, 10.2% of pupils at Cheslyn Hay Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Cheslyn Hay Academy had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.4% 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, 8.5% of pupils at Cheslyn Hay Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.3% 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 Cheslyn Hay Academy received £7,587 and spent £7,830 for each of its 1,269 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £683,000 (£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 Walsall · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Cheslyn Hay Academy is part of Windsor Academy Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Great Wyrley Academy Walsall
• Rivers Primary Academy Walsall
• Goldsmith Primary Academy Harden
• Windsor Olympus Academy Birmingham
• Kingswinford Academy Kingswinford
• Colley Lane Primary Academy Halesowen
• Windsor High School and Sixth Form Halesowen
• Tenterfields Primary Academy Halesowen
• Manor Way Primary Academy Halesowen
• Clayton Hall Academy Newcastle-Under-Lyme

What is Cheslyn Hay Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cheslyn Hay Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Cheslyn Hay Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Cheslyn Hay Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Cheslyn Hay Academy have?

Cheslyn Hay Academy has 1,279 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cheslyn Hay Academy cover?

Cheslyn Hay Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Cheslyn Hay Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.5, and 38% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Cheslyn Hay Academy?

Cheslyn Hay Academy is at Saredon Road, Cheslyn Hay, Walsall, Staffordshire, WS6 7JQ.