Bursley Academy
Bursley Way, Bradwell, Newcastle, ST5 8JQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- COLLECTIVE VISION TRUST
- Principal
- Ms Sara Stevenson
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Collective Vision Trust
- Constituency
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 400
- URN
- 138043
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01782567740
About this school
Bursley Academy is a primary academy in Newcastle. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 400 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bursley Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 45 | 42 | 46 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 51% | 69% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 5% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 71% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 88% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 82% | 81% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.60 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Bursley 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 | 51% | 59.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 61.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 62% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 343 |
| 2023/24 | 365 |
| 2024/25 | 383 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bursley Academy compares
Bursley Academy ranked 116th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 4.5% | 16.5% | 400 | — |
| Sun Academy Bradwell | 77% | 5% | 39.1% | 167 | 0.3 miles |
| Chesterton Primary School | 38% | 5.4% | 65% | 155 | 0.6 miles |
| Churchfields Primary School | 44% | 5.8% | 31.6% | 391 | 0.8 miles |
| Crackley Bank Primary School | 78% | 7.1% | 56.2% | 198 | 0.9 miles |
| Ellison Primary Academy | 72% | 5% | 18.6% | 329 | 1.0 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)
- 16.45%
- English as an additional language
- 5%
- Overall absence
- 4.49%
- Persistent absence
- 7.95%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sun Academy Bradwell0.3 miles
Primary · Newcastle-Under-Lyme
-
Chesterton Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Newcastle-Under-Lyme
-
Churchfields Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Newcastle
-
Crackley Bank Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Newcastle
-
Ellison Primary Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Newcastle
Other schools in Newcastle
Bursley Academy ranks 9th of the 15 ranked primary schools in Newcastle.
- Churchfields Primary School Primary
- Co-op Academy Friarswood Primary
- Crackley Bank Primary School Primary
- Ellison Primary Academy Primary
- Hassell Primary School Primary
- Hempstalls Primary School Primary
- Langdale Primary School Primary
- May Bank Infants' School Primary
- Our Lady and St Werburgh's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Silverdale Primary Academy Primary
- St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School Primary
- St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Bursley Academy teach?
- Bursley Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Newcastle.
- Who is the principal of Bursley Academy?
- The principal of Bursley Academy is Ms Sara Stevenson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bursley Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bursley 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 many pupils are at Bursley Academy?
- Bursley Academy has 400 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Bursley Academy full?
- Bursley Academy has capacity for 420 pupils and 400 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bursley Academy a faith school?
- No. Bursley Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Bursley Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bursley Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Bursley Academy part of an academy trust?
- Bursley Academy is part of COLLECTIVE VISION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bursley Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 51% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bursley Academy compare with other schools in Staffordshire?
- Bursley Academy ranked 116th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bursley Academy's absence rate?
- Bursley Academy's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bursley Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bursley 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 7 July 2026.