School Chooser

Kidsgrove Secondary School

Secondary · ages 11-16MixedAcademy394 pupilsStoke-on-TrentStaffordshire
School Chooser Score
21
Below
similar schools
Likely range 14 to 30
Out of 100. Better than 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, April 2023
Strong pass in English and maths15%England 46%
Attendance93.5%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families23%A bit fewer than most schools
Places435 spare394 pupils, 829 places
Pupils per teacher19.6School workforce census

Kidsgrove Secondary School is a converter academy in Stoke-on-Trent for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 394 pupils and room for 829. About 23 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 21 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Gloucester Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 4DL01782 948259kidsgrovesecondary.org.ukMr Steven Frost headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 18 April 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

60 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score35.9
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths15%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths42%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-0.50In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 38.138.120182019: 38.538.520192022: 39.139.120222023: 34.534.520232024: 38.838.820242025: 35.935.92025
Since 2018: -2.2Steady overall
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure20252024202320222019†2018†StaffordshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 116061624282112
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 835.938.834.539.138.538.144.046.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-0.50-1.21-0.53-0.74-0.60
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths15%23%19%29%37%27%38%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths42%46%40%50%57%50%61%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score3.153.473.043.323.253.353.774.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry32%25%13%7%5%19%32%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged27.636.325.330.327.826.7
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged40.039.538.942.641.542.1
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers27.117.125.722.922.0
Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers55.157.649.654.8

† These results are for The Kidsgrove Secondary School, the school this one replaced in November 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Subjects

Results came out for 8 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

Strongest subjects

Spanish68%grades 9 to 5, England 54%

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Mathematics (18% here, 53% across England), Geography (20% here, 51% across England), English Literature (27% here, 58% across England), English Language (27% here, 54% across England).

What is taught here
LanguagesSpanish19

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics60 entries · 54th of 55 in Staffordshire
18%England 53%
English Literature60 entries · 54th of 55 in Staffordshire
27%England 58%
English Language60 entries · 53rd of 55 in Staffordshire
27%England 54%
Combined Science58 entries · 37th of 55 in Staffordshire
24%England 36%
Art and Design39 entries · 43rd of 45 in Staffordshire
31%England 58%
Geography30 entries · 51st of 54 in Staffordshire
20%England 51%
History27 entries · 49th of 53 in Staffordshire
30%England 52%
Spanish19 entries
68%England 54%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics605%18%50%53%3,184 of 3,211
English Literature603%27%55%58%3,130 of 3,202
English Language603%27%47%54%3,117 of 3,210
Combined Science582%24%48%36%2,322 of 3,084
Art and Design3910%31%51%58%2,504 of 2,818
Geography303%20%33%51%2,973 of 3,116
History277%30%52%52%2,795 of 3,126
Spanish1911%68%95%54%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

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. 1 of the 3 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 GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
27.640.0
Gap 12.4England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
10%18%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
32.340.8
Gap 8.5England 3.0
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.

Plenty of spare places342 pupils for 767 places, 2024/25
45% full

425 places were empty (55% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 25% since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Staffordshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

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 roll394Census January 2026
Places82948% full
Pupils from low-income families23%23% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%72 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.215 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils33%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)27%£115,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls211 / 183
White British pupils94%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (26), Specific learning difficulty (22), Autistic spectrum disorder (12), Moderate learning difficulty (11), Physical disability (3), language and communications needs (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll394338300295270266
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals23%25%24%26%23%20%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%1%1%1%0%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%14%10%12%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%1%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance93.5%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.2%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils6.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.5%7.0%8.4%9.7%4.1%5.2%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.8%5.3%6.2%8.1%3.2%4.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.7%1.6%2.2%1.6%0.9%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.2%20.1%26.1%32.9%9.0%10.7%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate6.88.39.26.78.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions02200

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 62 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training69%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 60%, compared with 74% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training69%91%93%94%
Education55%71%76%90%
Apprenticeship10%14%9%5%
Work5%5%7%0%
Not in education, work or training19%5%6%6%

Staff and money

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

Teachers20.1full-time equivalent, 23 people
Pupils per teacher19.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,731
Teachers who left in the year17%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.62024/25

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£7,453England £7,965. Total £2.5m
Income per pupil£7,320England £8,423. Total £2.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,015England £4,444
Money in reserve-23%In the red: -£559k, -£1,653 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out-£45kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,453spent 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 m13512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate111 per 1,000 people21% higher than the England average
Typical house price£195,000Newcastle-under-Lyme
Nearest bus stop200 mMaryhill School, 12 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
The King's CofE AcademyAcademy0.8 miles732Good 202418Compare
Ormiston Horizon AcademyAcademy2.1 miles1,029Good 20238Compare
St Margaret Ward Catholic AcademyAcademy2.4 miles1,143Report card 202635Compare
James Bateman Middle SchoolAcademy2.5 miles373Good 202318Compare
Biddulph High SchoolAcademy2.8 miles746Good 202224Compare
Co-op Academy Stoke-On-TrentAcademy3.1 miles1,300Good 202339Compare
Haywood AcademyAcademy3.3 miles1,080Good 202312Compare
Alsager SchoolAcademy3.6 miles1,528Good 202372Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Kidsgrove Secondary School with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats30%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 21 is 19 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 39 · highest 87100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Kidsgrove Secondary School, 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
Middlewich High SchoolAcademy11.1 miles665Good 202247Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 21 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 21% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 14 to 30. 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 years20%below
-0.20
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 60 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.19
DfE progress measure; 60 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.02
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.08
2024/25; 344 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.16
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 60 pupils
What pupils do next5%well below
-0.10
62 pupils
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 Kidsgrove Secondary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Kidsgrove Secondary School scores 21 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 14 to 30, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Kidsgrove Secondary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Kidsgrove Secondary School good at its last full inspection on 18 April 2023.

How good are Kidsgrove Secondary School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 15% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 35.9, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Kidsgrove Secondary School have?

394 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 829 places, so it is 48% full.

Is Kidsgrove Secondary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 425 places were empty in 2024/25 (55% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Kidsgrove Secondary School?

Pupils were in school 93.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Kidsgrove Secondary School?

The average class had 25.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 33% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Kidsgrove Secondary School have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 69% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.

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

Contact and details

Address
Gloucester Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 4DL
Telephone
01782 948259
Website
kidsgrovesecondary.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Steven Frost
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Secondary school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
The Shaw Education Trust (31 schools)
Local authority
Staffordshire
Ward
Kidsgrove & Ravenscliffe
Constituency
Stoke-on-Trent North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2018 (fresh start)
URN
146635 · LAESTAB 8604019 · UKPRN 10081780
Formerly
The Kidsgrove Secondary School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from