Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases
High Street, Knutton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 6BX
- Phase
- Local authority maintained schools
- School type
- Pupil referral unit
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Lee McCartney
- Constituency
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 48
- URN
- 131652
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01782973760
About this school
Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases is a special school in Newcastle-under-Lyme. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 48 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 June 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good, but had some concerns; a full inspection will follow. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 30 |
| 2023/24 | 45 |
| 2024/25 | 55 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 50.91%
- English as an additional language
- 1.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Kaleidoscope School0.2 miles
Special schools · Newcastle-Under-Lyme
-
Merryfields School0.6 miles
Academies · Newcastle
-
Demetae Academy1.3 miles
Independent schools
-
Lyme Brook Independent School1.3 miles
Special schools · Newcastle Under-Lyme
-
Alpha Learning Staffordshire1.5 miles
Special schools · Stoke-on-Trent
Other schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Blackfriars Academy Academies
- Kaleidoscope School Special schools
- Baldwins Gate CofE(VC) Primary School Primary
- Chesterton Primary School Primary
- Seabridge Primary School Primary
- Sun Academy Bradwell Primary
- Westlands Primary School Primary
- Clayton Hall Academy Secondary
- Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group 16 plus
- Edenhurst Preparatory School Independent schools
- Newcastle-under-Lyme School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases teach?
- Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a special school in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
- Who is the headteacher of Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases?
- The headteacher of Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases is Mr Lee McCartney, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases?
- Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases has 48 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases a faith school?
- No. Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases has no designated religious character.
- Does Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Cedars - Newcastle, Moorlands and Darwin Bases. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.