Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #9 in Walsall public Top 35% UK

Grace Academy Darlaston

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personHeadteacher Julie Anstey

corporate_fareTOVE LEARNING TRUST

location_onWednesbury, WS10 8QJ

language Visit Website phone 1215683300

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

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Students

984

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Attainment 8

41.2

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GCSE Rank

#10 in Walsall

#2,374 of 3,216 nationally

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Grace Academy Darlaston is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Wednesbury, serving ages 11-19. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.0×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Grace Academy Darlaston is an academy sponsor led in Wednesbury, Walsall, admitting pupils aged 11-19. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of TOVE LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 1,068 pupils on roll, of whom 52% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.2, placing the school #10 in Walsall and #2,374 of 3,216 nationally. 29.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 13.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 7 A-level subjects. 26.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 5.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.76 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.0× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 5 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 7.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

41.2

Grade 5+ E&M

29.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)13.9%

Entering EBacc5.20%

EBacc APS3.36

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc8.70%

EBacc APS3.52

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS3.76

2022

Progress 8 Score

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS3.61

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc22%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.35

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS3.49

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.1

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc17%

EBacc APS3.41

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

88%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

84%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)14%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.76

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*–A5.7%

Achieving A*–B26.4%

VA Banding Well below average

Retention rate88.9%

A-level subjects offered7

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.27

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

26 April 2022

Inspection Report

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26 April 2017

Inspection Report

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20 May 2015

Inspection Report

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23 January 2015

Inspection Report

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05 November 2013

Inspection Report

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16 July 2013

Inspection Report

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07 November 2012

Inspection Report

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21 March 2012

Inspection Report

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29 March 2011

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2017-04-26

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-05-20

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

8.2%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

5.0%(53 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

3pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,068 pupils. During this period, there were 88 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 8.2%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,068	88	8.2%	7.3%	3
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,076	80	7.4%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,032	79	7.7%	7.4%	3
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,028	46	4.5%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,026	73	7.1%	8.2%	3
2022/23 (Summer term)	990	58	5.9%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	984	45	4.6%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	991	30	3.0%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	975	34	3.5%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	984	29	2.9%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	984	36	3.7%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	933	55	5.9%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	934	7	0.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	940	30	3.2%	3.9%	2
2019/20 (Summer term)	886	1	0.1%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	886	22	2.5%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	888	35	3.9%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	865	19	2.2%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	868	46	5.3%	3.8%	3
2018/19 (Autumn term)	872	43	4.9%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	814	40	4.9%	3.4%	4
2017/18 (Spring term)	817	28	3.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	820	26	3.2%	3.7%	3
2016/17 (Summer term)	719	25	3.5%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	720	29	4.0%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	719	18	2.5%	3.1%	2

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 85 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 67 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 50 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 21 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 16 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 9 pupils

Visual Impairment 6 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils