Moorside High School, Stoke-on-Trent Review 2026: Structured routines, strong local identity, and broad enrichment

A secondary school that leans into clarity and routine. The school day includes a dedicated reading slot, and wider culture is reinforced through REACH values, Moorside manners, and a house system named after Staffordshire potters.

Leadership sits within a trust structure, with Mr Darryn Robinson as headteacher and a local Head of School model in place. The headteacher appointment is recorded as 2022, and the most recent inspection (February 2024) judged the school Good across all headline areas.

For families deciding between local options, the academic picture is broadly typical for England when viewed through FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking lens, while admissions demand is a defining feature. Places are allocated through Staffordshire’s coordinated admissions process, and the school’s Published Admission Number is set at 145 for Year 7 entry.

Moorside’s identity is shaped by an explicit values framework and a local story that is unusually visible in daily life. REACH is not treated as a poster exercise. It is embedded into reward points and behaviour language, and it connects into the house structure that names houses after well known Staffordshire potters, including Wedgwood and Moorcroft. That choice matters because it links school community back to the wider Stoke and Moorlands heritage in a way pupils can easily understand.

The house system is also an organisational tool. It creates cross year links, with formal house leadership roles for students, and regular inter-house events. The public house point totals and frequent updates underline that contribution is tracked and valued, not just talked about. For pupils, that can translate into clear incentives and a straightforward sense of belonging, particularly in Year 7 when a new secondary environment can otherwise feel anonymous.

The wider tone is one of rising expectations since the academy conversion and subsequent leadership changes. This can work well for students who respond to consistency and a clear line on routines, equipment, and conduct. It can feel more challenging for families who prefer a looser style of school management. The most useful step is to understand how expectations are communicated, then decide whether that approach fits your child’s temperament.

Finally, the location matters. Werrington sits on the Staffordshire and Stoke boundary in practical terms, and the school draws from both Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. In day to day family life, that means transport planning, bus routes, and after school commitments are not minor details, they shape whether the school is workable.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official data), Moorside High School, Stoke-on-Trent is ranked 2,577th in England, and 12th within the Stoke-on-Trent local area grouping. That places performance broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England, which typically indicates a mixed academic profile with strengths for some learners and a need for targeted support for others.

Key published GCSE performance indicators include:

• Attainment 8 score of 41.7.

• Progress 8 score of -0.2, which indicates students, on average, make slightly less progress than students nationally with similar starting points.

• EBacc average point score of 3.68, compared with an England average of 4.08.

• 12.9% of pupils achieving grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure.

What does this mean in practice. A Progress 8 score slightly below zero is not a verdict on individual teaching quality for every student, but it is a signal that consistent learning checks and timely intervention matter, particularly for pupils who are at risk of falling behind without early support. It also makes the school’s approach to literacy, reading routines, and structured curriculum sequencing more consequential, because those are the levers most likely to shift outcomes over time.

Parents comparing options should use the FindMySchool local hub comparison tool to line up Moorside’s Attainment 8, Progress 8, and EBacc entry patterns against nearby schools, rather than relying on general impressions. That side-by-side view usually clarifies whether a school is the right match for a child’s starting point and motivation level.

Curriculum planning is one of the areas where Moorside is unusually explicit. Key Stage 4 starts in Year 9, with the school positioning this as a way to deepen understanding over a longer runway, with deliberate practice and consolidation baked into the sequence. For some students, that earlier start reduces the “cliff edge” at the end of Year 9 and creates a calmer Year 10 and Year 11 experience. For others, especially those still working out where their strengths lie, it can make option choices feel earlier and more consequential.

The overall Key Stage 4 offer blends traditional GCSEs with vocational and BTEC options, including Sport, Technology, Hospitality and Catering, and Music. That breadth is often a practical strength for a comprehensive intake because it gives different learners credible routes to success, provided guidance at options time is clear and realistic.

A second thread is literacy and reading. The published school day timetable includes a dedicated reading slot during the afternoon, which reinforces the message that reading is not confined to English lessons. For students who need to build fluency, confidence, and stamina, a daily routine like this can be more effective than occasional one-off interventions, because it normalises reading as part of school identity.

Digital learning is also part of the model. The school runs a 1-to-1 devices scheme, and the curriculum planning notes a particular emphasis on integrating one-to-one devices into Year 7 learning. For families, the key question is not whether devices exist, it is how consistently they are used for purposeful work, and what safeguarding and expectations sit around them at home and in school.

Moorside High School, Stoke-on-Trent is an 11 to 16 school, so transition planning is about post-16 routes rather than internal sixth form progression. The school’s careers framework emphasises employer encounters, mentoring, enterprise activities, and exposure to technical pathways and apprenticeships alongside academic routes. That broad approach is sensible for an 11 to 16 setting, because Year 11 decisions are not one-size-fits-all.

Practical support includes guidance about local college open evenings and post-16 choices, helping families understand the range across nearby providers. For students who are unsure of direction, structured careers education, combined with realistic advice about entry requirements, can be the difference between an informed plan and a last-minute scramble in Year 11.

Enrichment also supports post-16 readiness in a quieter way. The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award is offered to Year 9 students, which tends to develop reliability, planning, and perseverance, as well as giving students a credible achievement for future applications.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Staffordshire’s local authority process. For September 2026 entry, the application system opened on 01 September 2025 and closed on 31 October 2025, with outcomes issued on National Offer Day, 02 March 2026. Late applications can reduce the chance of securing a preferred school, so families should treat the October deadline as fixed.

The school’s Published Admission Number is 145 for Year 7, and admissions arrangements reference a catchment area criterion and a structured oversubscription order, with distance calculations based on a geographic information system approach (using official mapping datasets). If you are relying on proximity, use FindMySchoolMap Search to check your exact home-to-school distance and to understand how your address sits relative to the school’s likely priority groups.

Demand data reinforces that entry can be competitive. The most recent published admissions figures show 302 applications against 156 offers, with the school recorded as oversubscribed. In practice, that level of demand means families should list multiple preferences and avoid assuming a place will be available without a clear priority basis.

Open events follow a familiar pattern for Staffordshire secondaries. For the September 2026 cycle, the county’s open evening listing shows Moorside High School’s open evening scheduled for Thursday 18 September 2025, and the school calendar also records a Year 6 open evening on 18 September 2025 with an evening time slot. For future cycles, families should expect open evenings to fall in September, and confirm the exact date through the published listings each year.

The pastoral approach is built around a combination of routines, safeguarding clarity, and targeted support. The learning support structure is extensive for a mainstream 11 to 16 school, including two specialist rooms with technology, structured literacy interventions, and a lunchtime homework club for students who benefit from guided study time.

Year 7 transition is treated as a process rather than a single event. The learning support information references early transition days and participation in Year 6 transition reviews, which is particularly relevant for pupils with additional needs or anxiety about the move to secondary. That sort of early contact often reduces attendance issues later, because students start with a clearer sense of expectations and support routes.

Ofsted confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

For families, the practical question is how well pastoral staff and subject teachers communicate about emerging issues such as attendance dips, friendship breakdowns, or patterns of incomplete work. A school that values routine tends to be most effective when home and school approaches align. The more proactive you are about early communication, the easier it is to keep small issues small.

The strongest extracurricular theme is that enrichment is treated as normal, not optional. Sport is well resourced, with extensive playing fields and two multi-activity areas that include outdoor basketball, tennis, netball, hockey and five-a-side football facilities. The extra-curricular timetable is updated regularly, and the PE department lists an ongoing cycle of clubs and fixtures across sports such as football, netball, rugby, cross-country, swimming, and table tennis.

STEM

STEM enrichment is unusually concrete. A Year 9 STEM day at Keele University involved team challenges using Sphero robots, including coding and designing a chariot to race around a track. The school also ran a Key Stage 3 STEM fair where pupils completed independent research projects and presented them to classes. The educational value here is clear, it links problem-solving to communication and presentation, not just technical skills.

The house model adds another layer of enrichment. Houses are named after potters, and inter-house competitions create a wide menu of cross-curriculum events and leadership roles. For pupils who are not naturally drawn to sport or performance, house events can be a lower barrier way to participate and earn recognition.

Trips provision is a particular strength. The school’s trip programme includes:

• A Berlin visit that covered major historical and cultural sites, tying language learning to lived context.

• A Belgium Western Front residential for Years 9 and 10, including Ypres, the Menin Gate ceremony, and visits to major war grave sites, supporting history learning through structured site study.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award (Bronze) for Year 9 adds an additional, well recognised achievement route that can suit students who grow through challenge and practical responsibility.

The published timetable sets a clear rhythm. Students are on site from 8:30am, with registration running 8:40am to 9:00am, and the school day includes five teaching periods plus break, lunch, and a dedicated reading slot. Day-to-day finish time aligns with the end of Period 5 at 3:10pm.

For families needing early arrival support, the new intake booklet describes a breakfast club operating between 8:00am and 8:40am in the dining hall. After school, the club structure is substantial, particularly around sport and enrichment, so students who stay for activities should plan transport accordingly.

Transport is part of the lived experience here. The new intake materials describe organised end-of-day bus collection arrangements at the front of the site, which will matter for families coming from across the Staffordshire and Stoke boundary.

• Progress measures. A Progress 8 score of -0.2 indicates that, on average, pupils make slightly less progress than peers nationally with similar starting points. Families may want to understand how quickly support is put in place when gaps appear.

• Key Stage 4 starts in Year 9. This earlier start can suit students who like clear direction and long runways for consolidation. It can feel early for students who need more time before committing to option choices.

• Competition for places. The school is recorded as oversubscribed in the latest admissions data, and the Published Admission Number is 145 for Year 7. Families should list realistic backup preferences through the coordinated admissions process.

• Change management and communication. The most recent inspection identified that some parents were unhappy about certain changes and could not always support their child to meet expectations. Families who value frequent, two-way communication may want to ask how changes are signposted and reinforced.

Moorside High School, Stoke-on-Trent is a structured 11 to 16 school where routines, values language, and a clearly designed curriculum shape daily experience. The enrichment offer stands out, particularly the breadth of trips, the STEM programme, and the house system that ties school culture to local identity.

Who it suits. Students who respond well to clear expectations, who benefit from routines and explicit support structures, and families who want a mainstream secondary with a strong enrichment spine and practical post-16 guidance. The main challenge is aligning child and family preferences with the school’s high-structure approach, and securing a place in an oversubscribed setting.