Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #4 in Stoke-on-Trent public Top 28% UK

St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy

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

personMr Dominic McKenna

corporate_fareTHE NEWMAN CATHOLIC COLLEGIATE

location_onStoke-on-Trent, ST6 6LZ

language Visit Website phone 1782883000

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

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Students

1,157

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Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#5 in Stoke-on-Trent

#2,087 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Stoke-on-Trent, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy is an academy converter in Stoke-on-Trent, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE NEWMAN CATHOLIC COLLEGIATE. The school has approximately 1,139 pupils on roll, of whom 38% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 43, placing the school #5 in Stoke-on-Trent and #2,087 of 3,216 nationally. 40.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 12.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 16 A-level subjects. 25.8% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 12.9% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.45 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 9.2 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

Grade 5+ E&M

40.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)12.9%

Entering EBacc69.90%

EBacc APS3.94

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.44

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc82.20%

EBacc APS3.77

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.25

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc86%

EBacc APS4.04

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.45

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS3.98

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.2

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS3.36

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.37

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS3.38

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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

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

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

Apprenticeships5%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

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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

-0.45

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*4.3%

Achieving A*–A12.9%

Achieving A*–B25.8%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate93.5%

A-level subjects offered16

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.06

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate78.60%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate89.70%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate88.9%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

28 September 2021

Inspection Report

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20 October 2020

Inspection Report

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04 May 2016

Inspection Report

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01 September 2013

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2016-05-04

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2013-02-06

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2009-11-11

None EIF

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

8.4%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

5.0%(57 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

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 1,139 pupils. During this period, there were 96 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 8.4%, 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)	1,139	96	8.4%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,156	115	9.9%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,169	180	15.4%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,162	207	17.8%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,151	223	19.4%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,153	125	10.8%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,157	132	11.4%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,148	123	10.7%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,155	93	8.1%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,157	65	5.6%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,158	103	8.9%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,126	82	7.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,134	14	1.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,129	101	8.9%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,102	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,102	81	7.4%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,103	111	10.1%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,090	94	8.6%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,099	143	13.0%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,102	118	10.7%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,105	73	6.6%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,119	60	5.4%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,123	185	16.5%	3.7%	3
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,120	155	13.8%	3.0%	3
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,131	147	13.0%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,126	108	9.6%	3.1%	1

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 89 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 54 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 12 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 9 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 7 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

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St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Stoke-on-Trent

St Joseph's College

Thistley Hough Academy

Trentham Academy

St Thomas More Catholic Academy

Co-op Academy Stoke-On-Trent

Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy