Staffordshire University Academy
Marston Road, Hednesford, Cannock, WS12 4JH
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY ACADEMIES TRUST
- Principal
- Mrs Rowena Hillier
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Staffordshire University Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Cannock Chase
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 709
- URN
- 137164
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01543224700
About this school
Staffordshire University Academy is a secondary academy in Cannock. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 709 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 95 | 105 | 71 |
| Attainment 8 score | 34.1 | 35.8 | 32.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.93 -1.22 to -0.65 | -0.74 -1.01 to -0.47 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 22% | 20% | 9.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 42% | 41.9% | 31% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 1% | 8.6% | 1.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Staffordshire University Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Staffordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 34.1 | 36.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 35.8 | 35 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 32.9 | 36.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 629 |
| 2023/24 | 659 |
| 2024/25 | 673 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Staffordshire University Academy compares
Staffordshire University Academy ranked 55th of 56 secondary schools in Staffordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 24% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 32.9 | 7.4% | 44.6% | 709 | — |
| Kingsmead School | 48.5 | 8.5% | 19.2% | 1,427 | 1.1 miles |
| Cannock Chase High School | 42.1 | 9.7% | 35.2% | 1,113 | 1.2 miles |
| Cardinal Griffin Catholic College | 43.6 | 8.6% | 29.9% | 732 | 1.3 miles |
| Norton Canes High School | 34.8 | 9.3% | 36.7% | 400 | 3.1 miles |
| Great Wyrley Academy | 39 | 10.8% | 33% | 606 | 3.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 44.55%
- English as an additional language
- 2.7%
- Overall absence
- 7.36%
- Persistent absence
- 25.34%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Kingsmead School1.1 miles
Secondary · Cannock
-
Cannock Chase High School1.2 miles
Secondary · Cannock
-
Cardinal Griffin Catholic College1.3 miles
Secondary · Cannock
-
Norton Canes High School3.1 miles
Secondary · Cannock
-
Great Wyrley Academy3.2 miles
Secondary · Walsall
Other schools in Cannock
Staffordshire University Academy ranks 5th of the 5 ranked secondary schools in Cannock.
- Cannock Chase High School Secondary
- Cardinal Griffin Catholic College Secondary
- Kingsmead School Secondary
- Norton Canes High School Secondary
- Hednesford Nursery School Nursery
- Bridgtown Primary School Primary
- Chadsmoor CofE (VC) Junior School Primary
- Chadsmoor Community Infants and Nursery School Primary
- Five Ways Primary School Primary
- Gorsemoor Primary School Primary
- Hazel Slade Primary Academy Primary
- Heath Hayes Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Staffordshire University Academy teach?
- Staffordshire University Academy teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in Cannock.
- Who is the principal of Staffordshire University Academy?
- The principal of Staffordshire University Academy is Mrs Rowena Hillier, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Staffordshire University Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Staffordshire University Academy, 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 Staffordshire University Academy?
- Staffordshire University Academy has 709 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is Staffordshire University Academy full?
- Staffordshire University Academy has capacity for 900 pupils and 709 on roll (79%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Staffordshire University Academy a faith school?
- No. Staffordshire University Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Staffordshire University Academy a selective school?
- No. Staffordshire University Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Staffordshire University Academy?
- Staffordshire University Academy is part of STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Staffordshire University Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 34.1 in 2022/23 and 32.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Staffordshire University Academy rank locally?
- Staffordshire University Academy ranked 55th of 56 secondary schools in Staffordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 24% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Staffordshire University Academy's absence rate?
- Staffordshire University Academy's overall absence rate is 7.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Staffordshire University Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Staffordshire University Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
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 1 July 2026.