Birches Head Academy

Birches Head Academy is a larger-than-average secondary school in Stoke-on-Trent and part of Frank Field Education Trust. This full inspection found that the school no longer requires significant improvement, and safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have made positive changes over the last two years, and pupils, staff and parents say the school has improved. Behaviour is much better, the school is calm and orderly, bullying is dealt with effectively, attendance is improving, and pupils feel safe and cared for. However, pupils' achievement remains a major concern. Public examination outcomes are very low, and many pupils leave without the qualifications needed for their next steps, with disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND continuing to be most affected. The curriculum has been revised and is beginning to help current pupils know and remember more, but teaching strategies are new and not consistently embedded, so learning varies across subjects and lessons. Some staff do not adapt learning well enough for pupils with SEND, and misconceptions or gaps are sometimes missed. Other priorities include further improving attendance and reducing persistent absence, especially for pupils with SEND, and continuing to reduce suspensions. Leaders' inclusion work and the 'be more' personal development programme are strengths, but PSHE and careers education need more time to become fully effective. A minority of pupils still show disrespectful attitudes, which affects how valued some peers feel. Trust and local governance are robust, staff are well supported, and leaders understand what needs to improve, but they recognise more time is needed to embed and sustain the impact of their work.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils who feel safe and cared for.
• Behaviour has improved significantly; the school is calm and orderly and suspensions are falling.
• Bullying concerns from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed.
• Attendance is improving year on year and is closer to the national average.
• The pastoral system is a strength, with pastoral, safeguarding and inclusion staff working together effectively.
• Leaders place a high priority on inclusion and have effective systems for identifying pupils' needs.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND usually learn well, and pupils new to English make rapid progress.
• The literacy, numeracy and communication strategy is already helping pupils become confident, fluent readers.
• The 'be more' programme and expanded extra-curricular offer build pupils' wider development and sense of belonging.
• Trust and local governance are robust and support school improvement well.
• Staff feel well supported, with workload and wellbeing considered and a well-designed professional development programme.
• Parents report that the school has improved and speak positively about school leaders.
• Pupils who arrive during the year, including those new to the country, are welcomed and settle in well.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement in public examinations is very low, and many pupils do not gain the qualifications needed for their next steps.
• Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND remain particularly weak.
• Progress 8 and Attainment 8 are below national averages.
• Teaching strategies are not yet embedded consistently across subjects or lessons.
• Some staff miss misconceptions or gaps in pupils' knowledge and set activities that do not deepen learning.
• Not all staff have the expertise to adapt learning effectively for pupils with SEND.
• Overall attendance still needs to improve, and persistent absence remains high, especially for pupils with SEND.
• Suspensions and repeat suspensions have fallen but need to decrease further.
• Some pupils do not meet the school's expectations for kindness and respect, making some peers feel undervalued.
• Pupils do not yet have a secure understanding of the PSHE curriculum, including what it means to be a positive member of modern British society.
• The school does not always address the current issues or topics pupils feel are most pressing.
• Careers education needs improvement because many pupils are unclear about the choices needed to realise their ambitions.
• Additional funding is improving attendance and outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, but more improvement is needed.
• Leaders need more time to embed improvements and be confident they will sustain in the longer term.

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 Birches Head Academy attended 88.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 36.2% 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, 26.2% of pupils at Birches Head Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 14 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 Birches Head Academy had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.7% 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, 15.8% of pupils at Birches Head 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 Birches Head Academy received £9,452 and spent £8,441 for each of its 954 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £865,000 (£907 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Frank Field Education Trust, income was £8,702 and spending £8,281 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

Birches Head Academy is part of Frank Field Education Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Handforth Grange Primary School Wilmslow
• Ellesmere Port Church of England College Ellesmere Port

What is Birches Head Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birches Head Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Birches Head Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Birches Head Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Birches Head Academy have?

Birches Head Academy has 925 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birches Head Academy cover?

Birches Head Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Birches Head Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 33.0, and 20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Birches Head Academy?

Birches Head Academy is at Birches Head Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST2 8DD.