Nether Stowe School

Nether Stowe School is undergoing a period of improvement, marked by a commitment from leaders to raise expectations and enhance pupil progress. Although historically performance in examinations has been weak, recent changes have led to better engagement and work quality among pupils, particularly in reading and vocabulary development. Support for disadvantaged pupils is beginning to show positive results, narrowing the achievement gap compared to their peers. However, attendance remains a significant concern, as it has been historically low, although recent efforts have been made to improve this situation. Despite these improvements, several areas require attention, including the management and quality of teaching, especially for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The leadership team is relatively new, and while they are focused on driving change, the impact of these leadership changes has yet to be fully realized. Concerns remain regarding post-16 provision, with reported weaknesses in both teaching and the curriculum as well as uncertainty about its future, contributing to a lack of confidence among current students.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and valued in the school environment.
• Recent improvements in teaching are leading to better pupil engagement.
• Focused effort on enhancing reading skills is showing positive outcomes.
• The school provides a wide range of enrichment activities that engage pupils.
• Staff are supportive in providing pastoral care for students.

Areas for Improvement

• Historically low achievement in national examinations.
• Very low pupil attendance over time, with many still absent significantly.
• Quality of teaching adaptations for special educational needs and disabilities is inconsistent.
• New systems for leadership and governance need time to show impact.
• Post-16 provision suffers from underperformance and uncertainty about its future.

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 Nether Stowe School attended 87.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 34.0% 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, 9.3% of pupils at Nether Stowe School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Nether Stowe School had 15.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.2% 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, 17.2% of pupils at Nether Stowe School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% 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 Nether Stowe School received £8,281 and spent £8,803 for each of its 787 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £583,000 (-£741 per pupil).

Across all 23 schools of The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, income was £7,703 and spending £8,151 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 Lichfield · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Nether Stowe School is part of The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• St Chad's CofE Primary School Lichfield
• Scotch Orchard Primary School Lichfield
• St Michael's CofE (C) Primary School Lichfield
• Anna Seward Primary Lichfield
• Greysbrooke Primary School Lichfield
• Coton Green Primary School Tamworth
• Dunstall Park Primary School Tamworth
• Hill West Primary School Sutton Coldfield
• The Arthur Terry School Sutton Coldfield
• Mere Green Primary School Sutton Coldfield

What is Nether Stowe School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Nether Stowe School is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Nether Stowe School last inspected by Ofsted?

Nether Stowe School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Nether Stowe School have?

Nether Stowe School has 692 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nether Stowe School cover?

Nether Stowe School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Nether Stowe School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.6, and 31% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Nether Stowe School?

Nether Stowe School is at St Chad's Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7NB.