Green Lea First School

Green Lea First School is a small rural school that performs strongly in most areas. Attendance and behaviour, early years, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing are all rated strong. Pupils are happy, safe and behave very well; attendance is well above the national average and persistent absence is very low. Children settle quickly into early years and make good progress, while leadership is clear, improvement actions are effective, and staff and parents are highly positive. The school meets expected standards in achievement, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion. Pupils achieve well over time, with above-average outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check and the Year 4 multiplication tables check. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities generally achieve well. However, inspectors noted that teaching adaptations are not always precisely matched to pupils' needs, and the next steps ask leaders to ensure barriers are addressed swiftly through more precise adaptations in lessons and through wider support strategies. The school is part of The Creative Learning Partnership Trust, which provides strategic oversight while preserving its rural distinctiveness. Safeguarding standards are met. Overall, this is a strong school with a clear ethos and the capacity to continue improving.

Strengths

• Attendance is well above the national average, with very low persistent absence.
• Behaviour is extremely positive, with clear routines and an embedded behaviour curriculum.
• Early years provision is ambitious and well-resourced, with warm relationships and strong progress.
• Leadership has a clear ethos and takes precise actions that lead to rapid improvement.
• Personal development is extensive and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils are safe, happy and well cared for, and feel a strong sense of belonging.
• The school has strong partnerships with parents and the local community.
• Pupils with SEND generally achieve well and are well prepared for their next stage.
• The trust provides effective strategic oversight while maintaining the school's rural distinctiveness.
• Staff feel valued and supported, with high-quality professional learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching adaptations are not always precisely matched to pupils' needs.
• Some pupils' barriers to learning could be addressed more swiftly through wider support strategies.

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 Green Lea First School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Green Lea First School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Green Lea First School had 13.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 14.8% of pupils at Green Lea First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Green Lea First School received £11,796 and spent £11,217 for each of its 46 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £77,000 (£1,674 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of The Creative Learning Partnership Trust, income was £8,526 and spending £8,368 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 Stafford · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Green Lea First School is part of The Creative Learning Partnership Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Beaconfields Primary School Stafford
• Manor Hill First School Stone
• Parkside Primary School Stafford
• Greenhall Stafford
• Doxey Academy Stafford
• Burleyfields Primary School Stafford
• Langdale Primary School Newcastle
• Hempstalls Primary School Newcastle
• Thursfield Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• James Bateman Middle School Biddulph

What is Green Lea First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Green Lea First School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Green Lea First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Green Lea First School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Green Lea First School have?

Green Lea First School has 54 pupils on roll.

What age range does Green Lea First School cover?

Green Lea First School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Green Lea First School?

Green Lea First School is at Mill Lane, Milwich, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0EU.