STEP 1: Identify Target

A busy 11 to 16 secondary in Sneyd Green, The Excel Academy sits at the heart of a large local intake and runs with clear routines and high expectations. The day is structured, with form time and assemblies early, five taught periods, and a dedicated slot for extracurricular activity after lessons.

This is a state-funded academy, so there are no tuition fees. The academy is part of Alpha Academies Trust and operates at around full capacity, with a published Year 7 admission number of 240 for the 2026 to 2027 admissions year.

The most recent Ofsted inspection confirmed the school remains Good, with calm, orderly conduct and strong relationships between pupils and staff described as a defining feature.

A school’s character is often defined less by slogans and more by what happens in corridors, at break, and in the first ten minutes of lessons. Here, the pattern is one of order and predictability, which many families actively want. The latest inspection describes pupils as happy and safe, behaviour as calm and mature, and movement between lessons as orderly. That combination tends to suit students who learn best in a structured setting where expectations are consistently reinforced.

The academy also has a clear pastoral “front door” for students who need additional support. Its Student Welfare information describes “Headspace” as a support space used for group and individual work, breakfast and lunch club, support for students with medical needs, help for children in care, and integration programmes. The practical implication is that support is designed to be accessible during the normal school day, rather than limited to occasional referrals.

Leadership is currently under Miss Anna Steele, listed as Headteacher/Principal on the Department for Education’s Get Information About Schools register.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official results data), The Excel Academy is ranked 3050th in England and 16th in Stoke-on-Trent. This places performance in the band that sits below the England average overall.

Looking at the available GCSE headline metrics provided for this school, the Attainment 8 score is 39.8 and Progress 8 is -0.57. For many families, Progress 8 is the more informative measure because it indicates how well students progress from their starting points across a basket of subjects. A negative score suggests outcomes are lower than would be expected given prior attainment.

The EBacc entry and outcomes picture is also important for curriculum breadth. The school’s average EBacc APS is listed as 3.37, with an England comparator shown as 4.08. That gap typically indicates fewer strong passes across the EBacc suite than the national picture.

Parents comparing options locally can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to place these figures alongside other Stoke-on-Trent secondaries, which is often more meaningful than reading any single statistic in isolation.

The most reliable way to describe teaching without guesswork is to focus on the curriculum and how learning is sequenced. The latest inspection describes leaders as ambitious for pupils and notes that the curriculum has been carefully planned, including attention to what is taught and the order it is taught in. In mathematics, the report highlights clarity in how pupils build knowledge, and in Key Stage 3 English it notes pupils reading a broader range of classic literature, with examples including Beowulf and Chaucer. The practical implication is a curriculum designed to build long-term knowledge rather than short-term exam technique.

The same inspection also identifies a specific development priority, consistency in checking understanding across subjects. Where assessment does not identify misconceptions quickly, teachers can move on before all pupils have secured earlier learning. Families with children who need frequent checks for understanding, or who are prone to “quietly falling behind”, should probe how this is currently managed in the subjects their child finds hardest.

Reading is treated as a priority, with the inspection noting timetabled reading lessons for Year 7 and targeted support for pupils who struggle with reading fluency.

Where Students Go Next

Because this is an 11 to 16 academy with no sixth form, the main “next step” question is post-16 pathways. The school’s published careers materials emphasise a range of routes, including college study, apprenticeships, and employment pathways, with practical guidance about entry requirements and the structure of apprenticeships.

In parallel, the school promotes access to online careers events through Unifrog, which can help students explore options earlier rather than treating post-16 decisions as a last-minute Year 11 issue.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority route, and the Trust’s admissions policy sets out a standard annual cadence. The policy states that applications are made via the Secondary Common Application Form, with a national closing date of 31 October, and offers issued on 1 March. Exact dates vary each year, but the month-by-month timing is stable.

For September 2026 entry, the academy also publicised an Open Evening on Thursday 2 October 2025 (5:00pm to 7:30pm). In practice, open events typically cluster in early autumn, so families looking ahead to September 2027 entry should expect a similar September to October window, then confirm the specific date on the academy website when published.

Oversubscription criteria are clearly laid out. Priority is given first to children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the academy, then looked-after and previously looked-after children, then applicants with compelling medical or exceptional social reasons, then siblings, then several additional categories including children of staff and children attending named partner primaries, with distance used as a final tie-break. The partner primary list is explicitly named in the admissions policy, including Sneyd Academy, Hillside Primary, Milton Academy, Holden Lane Primary, and Greenways Academy.

As of January 2026, the academy is also running a consultation on proposed admission arrangements for 2027 to 2028, with the consultation window stated as 15 December 2025 to 26 January 2026. Families with a strong interest in the detail of admissions rules should review that consultation information.

Pastoral support is most effective when it is visible to students and easy to access. The school’s Student Welfare information frames wellbeing as a safety priority and describes “Headspace” as a hub used for intensive group and individual work, breakfast and lunch club, medical needs support, help for children in care, and integration programmes. The practical implication is that support is designed to be embedded in day-to-day routines rather than bolted on as an occasional add-on.

Safeguarding is a key reassurance point for families. Ofsted’s 2021 inspection states safeguarding arrangements were effective, and describes trained staff, clear referral processes, and work with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils.

The timetable builds extracurricular time into the end of the day, with a dedicated 15:00 to 16:00 slot for activities. That matters because it signals an expectation that enrichment is part of the weekly rhythm, not only an optional add-on for a small minority.

Specific examples of the offer are visible in school communications. Recent posts reference Miss Martin’s Chess Club (Tuesdays, 3pm to 4pm) and a Choir and Singing Club (after school, open to all year groups). For students who want a low-pressure route into after-school life, these clubs can be a useful starting point because they do not require prior experience in the same way competitive team selection sometimes can.

Academic and cultural enrichment also appears in trips and themed activities. The published enrichment timetable references experiences such as a theatre trip to Stratford and a visit to Jodrell Bank, alongside careers speakers and workshops such as first aid. These activities can make curriculum content feel more tangible, which is often the difference between passive participation and real engagement for students who do not naturally enjoy classroom learning.

Subject-specific enrichment is also signposted. The science area includes items labelled Friday Science Club, Y11 Master Classes, and a “Step into STEM” programme, indicating additional provision aimed at both interest and attainment.

The academy day starts early. The site opens to students at 08:00, with form time and assembly from 08:40, and the taught day running through to 15:00, followed by extracurricular activities until 16:00. Year 11 also has a Period 6 extension twice per week, according to the published day structure.

As this is a secondary school, wraparound care is not typically structured in the same way as a primary breakfast club and after-school club model. The academy does, however, reference breakfast availability on site and uses its welfare spaces for breakfast and lunch support. Families who require supervised childcare-style wraparound should check directly how current arrangements operate for their child’s age and need.

• Progress and attainment context. The available GCSE measures show Progress 8 at -0.57, which suggests outcomes below expectations from prior attainment. This may be less of a concern for some families than for others, but it is a point to discuss candidly, especially for students aiming for highly academic post-16 routes.

• Consistency of checking understanding. The latest inspection highlights variation between subjects in how well teachers identify misconceptions. Families may want to ask what has changed since 2021, and what the school does now when a pupil is not keeping up in a specific subject.

• No sixth form. Post-16 planning matters earlier because every student will transition elsewhere at 16. Look for evidence of strong careers guidance and structured support for college, sixth-form, or apprenticeship applications.

• Admissions rules can change. A consultation on admissions arrangements for 2027 to 2028 is running up to 26 January 2026. If admissions detail is central to your decision, review the latest policy version and consultation documents.

The Excel Academy offers a structured, routines-led 11 to 16 experience, with an emphasis on calm behaviour, clear expectations, and accessible wellbeing support. It will suit families who value predictability, strong pastoral infrastructure such as “Headspace”, and a school day that explicitly reserves time for enrichment. The main question to weigh is academic trajectory, since the most recent available outcome measures point to below-average progress overall; families should explore how subject-level gaps are identified early and addressed in practice.