Merryfields School
Merryfields School is a special academy in Newcastle for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 118 pupils. About 47 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.
Hoon Avenue, Newcastle, ST5 9NY01782 914219merryfields.manorhall.academyMr Neil Brannigan headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
14 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017† | Staffordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 14 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 23 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 66% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 8% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | – | -3.5 | -4.7 | -6.7 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | – | -4.2 | -4.9 | -8.5 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | – | – |
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.
† These results are for Merryfields School, the school this one replaced in February 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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. Every gap at this school 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
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.
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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with severe learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Staffordshire with severe learning difficulties provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (59), language and communications needs (37), Severe learning difficulty (7), Specific learning difficulty (7), Moderate learning difficulty (2), emotional and mental health (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 118 | 113 | 108 | 108 | 107 | 108 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 47% | 43% | 38% | 36% | 35% | 29% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 9% | 9% | 8% | 10% | 6% | 5% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 99% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.6% | 7.6% | 6.4% | 7.9% | 19.4% | 7.9% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.6% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 7.3% | 18.8% | 7.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 21.5% | 23.3% | 16.0% | 27.9% | 81.4% | 26.3% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hempstalls Primary School | Academy | 270 m | 501 | No overall grade 2024 | 63 | Compare |
| The Orme Academy | Academy | 310 m | 768 | Good 2024 | 32 | Compare |
| St Margaret's CofE (VC) Junior School | Church of England | 780 m | 222 | Good 2023 | 76 | Compare |
| May Bank Infants' School | Council | 800 m | 173 | Good 2023 | 70 | Compare |
| St Wulstan's Catholic Primary School | Academy | 920 m | 457 | Not inspected | 80 | Compare |
| Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases | Pupil referral unit | 0.6 miles | 48 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
| Ellison Primary Academy | Academy | 0.7 miles | 329 | Good 2023 | 42 | Compare |
| St John Fisher Catholic College | Academy | 0.7 miles | 1,075 | Requires improvement 2023 | 11 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Merryfields School a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Merryfields School yet.
How good are Merryfields School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.
How many pupils does Merryfields School have?
118 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026.
What is attendance like at Merryfields School?
Pupils were in school 92.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Merryfields School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Hoon Avenue, Newcastle, ST5 9NY
- Telephone
- 01782 914219
- Website
- merryfields.manorhall.academy
- Headteacher
- Mr Neil Brannigan
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Manor Hall Academy Trust (16 schools)
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Ward
- May Bank
- Constituency
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 February 2017 (academy converter)
- URN
- 143897 · LAESTAB 8607038 · UKPRN 10062423
- Formerly
- Merryfields School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.