Paulet High School
Violet Way, Stapenhill, Burton-on-Trent, DE15 9RT
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- JOHN TAYLOR MAT
- Headteacher
- Mr Ian McArthur
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- John Taylor MAT
- Constituency
- Burton and Uttoxeter
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 903
- Pupils on roll
- 915
- URN
- 147574
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01283247900
About this school
Paulet High School is a secondary academy in Burton-on-Trent. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 915 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 | 140 | 149 | 148 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.0 | 40.3 | 41.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.21 -0.44 to +0.03 | -0.69 -0.92 to -0.46 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 24.8% | 29.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 53% | 53% | 50% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 27% | 38.3% | 34.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
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 Paulet High School 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 | 44 | 36.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 40.3 | 35 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41 | 36.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 903 |
| 2023/24 | 925 |
| 2024/25 | 899 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Paulet High School compares
Paulet High School ranked 38th of 56 secondary schools in Staffordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 41% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41 | 7.9% | 26.2% | 915 | — |
| Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy | 46.7 | 6.3% | 23.4% | 632 | 0.3 miles |
| Abbot Beyne School | 39.4 | 10.1% | 33% | 834 | 1.2 miles |
| Mercia Academy | 32.6 | 13.1% | 44.6% | 592 | 1.6 miles |
| Paget High School | 38.5 | 8.9% | 29.8% | 606 | 1.8 miles |
| The Pingle Academy | 39.2 | 9% | 35.1% | 1,363 | 2.2 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)
- 26.23%
- English as an additional language
- 16.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.87%
- Persistent absence
- 23.38%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy0.3 miles
Secondary · Burton-on-Trent
-
Abbot Beyne School1.2 miles
Secondary · Burton-on-Trent
-
Mercia Academy1.6 miles
Secondary · Swadlincote
-
Paget High School1.8 miles
Secondary · Burton-on-Trent
-
The Pingle Academy2.2 miles
Secondary · Swadlincote
Other schools in Burton-on-Trent
Paulet High School ranks 5th of the 7 ranked secondary schools in Burton-on-Trent.
- Abbot Beyne School Secondary
- Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy Secondary
- John Taylor Free School Secondary
- John Taylor High School Secondary
- Paget High School Secondary
- The de Ferrers Academy Secondary
- All Saints Church of England Primary and Nursery School Primary
- All Saints CofE (C) Primary School Primary
- Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Burton Fields School Primary
- Christ Church Primary School Primary
- Edge Hill Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Paulet High School teach?
- Paulet High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Burton-on-Trent.
- Who is the headteacher of Paulet High School?
- The headteacher of Paulet High School is Mr Ian McArthur, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Paulet High School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Paulet High School, 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 Paulet High School?
- Paulet High School has 915 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Paulet High School full?
- Paulet High School has capacity for 903 pupils and 915 on roll (101%), so it is at or above 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 Paulet High School a faith school?
- No. Paulet High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Paulet High School a selective school?
- No. Paulet High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Paulet High School?
- Paulet High School is part of JOHN TAYLOR MAT. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Paulet High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44 in 2022/23 and 41 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Paulet High School rank locally?
- Paulet High School ranked 38th of 56 secondary schools in Staffordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 41% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Paulet High School's absence rate?
- Paulet High School's overall absence rate is 7.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Paulet High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Paulet High School'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 10 July 2026.