School Chooser

Christ Church Academy

Middle · ages 9-13MixedAcademyChurch of England540 pupilsStoneStaffordshire
School Chooser Score · secondary phase
58
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 37 to 76
Out of 100. Better than 67% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
Primary phase: 25, below similar schools
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance94.6%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families19%A bit fewer than most schools
Places26 spare540 pupils, 566 places
Pupils per teacher20.3School workforce census

Christ Church Academy is a converter academy in Stone for boys and girls aged 9 to 13. It has 540 pupils and room for 566. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 58 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 67% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Old Road, Stone, ST15 8JD01785 334900christchurchacademy.co.ukMrs Tara Thorn principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 14 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
As expected
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
27 January 2022UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

142 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1158%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 62%62%20172018: 66%66%20182019: 64%64%20192023: 51%51%20232024: 65%65%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: -4%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017StaffordshireEngland
Pupils tested142122136152148145
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%65%51%64%66%62%66%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%9%1%14%3%3%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0105.0103.0104.0105.0104.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0104.0102.0105.0104.0102.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0104.0100.0103.0103.0101.0105.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard75%75%65%73%77%71%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard70%79%68%80%76%68%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)73%74%71%82%89%90%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.9-1.7-1.2-1.4
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.3-1.0-1.1-2.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged36%33%21%32%27%38%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged66%74%58%72%73%69%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
36%66%
Gap 30 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
64%52%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
43%58%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%7%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full545 pupils for 571 places, 2024/25
95% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 750 m away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2024. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 750 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2024 Secondary45750 mLA

What a home within 750 m of the school costs

Typical sale price within 750 m of the school£195,000half sold for £165k to £319k
Homes sold129December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district-24%a typical home in the district sells for £255,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll540Census January 2026
Places56695% full
Pupils from low-income families19%19% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%67 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%15 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.220 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils15%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)20%£139,550 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls275 / 265
White British pupils91%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (18), Autistic spectrum disorder (16), Moderate learning difficulty (16), emotional and mental health (15), language and communications needs (12), Physical disability (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll540545538546551577
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals19%19%19%17%16%15%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%3%4%2%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support11%10%10%9%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%2%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance94.6%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school13.4%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils5.32024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%5.4%5.5%6.6%3.2%3.7%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.1%4.5%4.3%5.7%2.7%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%0.9%1.3%0.8%0.5%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.4%14.1%12.0%16.4%5.8%5.8%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate5.33.45.72.75.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10100

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers26.6full-time equivalent, 28 people
Pupils per teacher20.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,704
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.62024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,059England £7,965. Total £3.3m
Income per pupil£6,645England £8,423. Total £3.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,650England £4,444
Money in reserve25%A lot put by: £913k, £1,672 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out+£320kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,059spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m11612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate82 per 1,000 people10% lower than the England average
Typical house price£255,000Stafford
Nearest bus stop60 mMount Road, 11 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Alleyne's AcademyAcademy480 m846Not inspected64Compare
Christ Church CofE First SchoolAcademy520 m120Not inspectedCompare
St Dominic's Priory SchoolIndependent620 m185Not inspectedCompare
St Dominic's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy680 m221Outstanding 202299Compare
Oulton CofE First SchoolAcademy0.9 miles77Not inspectedCompare
Manor Hill First SchoolAcademy1.0 miles260Good 202369Compare
Pirehill First SchoolCouncil1.1 miles245Report card 202648Compare
St Michael's CofE (C) First SchoolChurch of England1.2 miles184Good 202353Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Christ Church Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats67%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 58 is 6 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 6 · middle 52 · highest 91100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Christ Church Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Walton Priory Middle SchoolCouncil1.3 miles542No overall grade 202572Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 58 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 58% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 37 to 76. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
-0.04
Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.11
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.26
2024/25; 561 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What pupils do next0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Christ Church Academy a good school?

It is about average. Christ Church Academy scores 58 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 67% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 37 to 76, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Christ Church Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 14 April 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as as expected.

How good are Christ Church Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Christ Church Academy have?

540 pupils aged 9 to 13 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 566 places, so it is 95% full.

Is Christ Church Academy oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2024 the last place went to a child living 750 m away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Christ Church Academy?

Pupils were in school 94.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Christ Church Academy?

The average class had 27.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 15% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Christ Church Academy have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Old Road, Stone, ST15 8JD
Telephone
01785 334900
Website
www.christchurchacademy.co.uk
Principal
Mrs Tara Thorn
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Middle school, ages 9-13
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Lichfield
Multi-academy trust
The Key Educational Trust (5 schools)
Local authority
Staffordshire
Ward
St Michael's & Stonefield
Constituency
Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 August 2011 (academy converter)
URN
136961 · LAESTAB 8604612 · UKPRN 10034660
Formerly
Christ Church CofE (A) Middle School

Where these figures come from