Stantonbury School

Stantonbury School is a large secondary school in Milton Keynes, part of Tove Learning Trust, and it requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education. The inspection found that leaders do not have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement. Safeguarding standards are met, and there are notable strengths: inclusion, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision are all judged at expected standard. Pupils are well supported in their safety, wellbeing and careers guidance, and the sixth form is effective. However, serious weaknesses remain in core areas. Achievement by the end of key stage 4 is significantly below national averages and has been for several years, with disadvantaged pupils and those who miss school achieving particularly poorly. Attendance is poor, with persistent absence well above national figures. Behaviour is variable, with a significant minority of pupils persistently breaching expectations, and suspensions are high. Teaching is inconsistent, especially in checking pupils' understanding and adapting for pupils with SEND. Leadership and governance require urgent improvement. Leaders have been slow to address attendance, behaviour and achievement, and their plans often lack precision. Governors do not challenge leaders rigorously enough. Inspectors also recommend that the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers at this time. Overall, despite some strong provision, the school needs urgent and sustained improvement to meet acceptable standards.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met with an open culture of safeguarding.
• Leaders effectively identify barriers to learning and wellbeing.
• Leaders use a research-informed pupil premium strategy, prioritising reading.
• Leaders regularly assess and refine interventions.
• Leaders collaborate effectively with external partners for specialist support.
• Alternative provision is used appropriately.
• Pupils are well supported in personal development, safety and mental health.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils receive additional support.
• The school provides helpful and independent careers advice.
• Pupils have a range of enrichment activities, with increasing participation.
• Post 16 provision is well designed and taught effectively.
• Sixth form students make positive progress and are well prepared for next steps.
• The curriculum is well designed and considers pupils' starting points.
• Reading is prioritised across the curriculum with systems to identify gaps.
• Teachers typically have secure subject knowledge and explain new learning clearly.
• Staff are typically positive, and early career teachers feel supported.
• Leaders are committed to the best interests of pupils and have secure oversight of vulnerable pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• School requires special measures and is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education.
• Leaders lack the capacity to secure necessary improvement.
• Teaching does not consistently check pupils' understanding to match learning.
• Pupils are unclear how to respond to feedback.
• Staff do not effectively adapt teaching for SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Improvements to teaching have not been swift enough.
• Attainment at KS4 is significantly below national average for several years.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve poorly.
• Pupils who miss school do not catch up and lack foundational knowledge.
• Assessment systems are not embedded to address knowledge gaps.
• Catch-up support for maths and reading is not ambitious enough.
• Too many pupils are frequently absent, with persistent absence significantly high.
• Leaders' actions to improve attendance have been insufficiently rapid or sustained.
• Behaviour is variable, with a significant minority persistently breaching expectations.
• High proportion of school time is missed through suspensions.
• Support for pupils struggling with behaviour is not consistently effective.
• SEND and disadvantaged pupils are overrepresented in suspensions.
• Leaders lack clear oversight of behaviour trends, so unkind behaviours are not consistently addressed.
• Leaders do not accurately review the impact of their work, slowing improvement.
• Plans to address priorities lack precision.
• Governors are not sufficiently thorough in challenge and checks.
• Professional development impact is inconsistent.
• Some staff feel workload is not considered when new initiatives are introduced.

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 Stantonbury School attended 83.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 43.8% 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, 17.4% of pupils at Stantonbury School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Stantonbury School had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.1% 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, 15.5% of pupils at Stantonbury School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.6% 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 Stantonbury School received £7,917 and spent £8,447 for each of its 1,490 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £680,000 (£456 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Tove Learning Trust, income was £7,790 and spending £7,801 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 Milton Keynes · Milton Keynes local authority: places and applications

Stantonbury School is part of Tove Learning Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Lord Grey Academy Milton Keynes
• Elizabeth Woodville School Milton Keynes
• Knowles Primary School Milton Keynes
• Water Hall Primary School Milton Keynes
• Roade Village Academy Roade
• Sponne School Towcester
• Wootton Primary School Northampton
• Whitefriars Primary School Rushden
• Rushden Academy Rushden
• Huxlow Academy Irthlingborough

What is Stantonbury School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Stantonbury School is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Stantonbury School last inspected by Ofsted?

Stantonbury School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Stantonbury School have?

Stantonbury School has 1,409 pupils on roll.

What age range does Stantonbury School cover?

Stantonbury School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Stantonbury School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 32.8, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Stantonbury School?

Stantonbury School is at Purbeck, Stantonbury, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK14 6BN.