OFSTED
10 March 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching
Strong standard
Achievement
Strong standard
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
1 December 2021
Graded inspection
Good
Published
24 January 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Staffordshire
Trust
JOHN TAYLOR MAT
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,427
1,427 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
712
49.9% of pupils
Male pupils
715
50.1% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
7.3 pts
below England
School
17.5%
Cannock Chase
27.0%
West Midlands
30.6%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
17.9 pts
below England
School
2.4%
Cannock Chase
4.2%
West Midlands
22.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.2 pts
below England
School
0.8%
Cannock Chase
0.5%
West Midlands
0.6%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
93.0%
1,327
Any other White background
2.0%
29
White and Black Caribbean
1.2%
17
White and Asian
0.9%
13
Indian
0.6%
9
Unclassified
0.6%
9
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
14.2%
202 of
1,427 pupils
6.7 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
2.0 pts
below
England
6.0%
4.6 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
48.5
9.3 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.44 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
8.49%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
2.27 pts
higher than
England
School
8.49%
Cannock Chase
6.05%
West Midlands
6.28%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
24.19%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
8.38 pts
higher than
England
School
24.19%
Cannock Chase
16.32%
West Midlands
16.42%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
2.83%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.02 pts
higher than
England
School
2.83%
Cannock Chase
1.25%
West Midlands
1.82%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
113.5%
21.2 pts
above England
Kingsmead School
113.5%
Cannock Chase
86.1%
West Midlands
94.1%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.