Painsley Catholic College
General Information
- Address: Station Road, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, ST10 1LH – View on map
- Phone: 01538493777
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mrs Rachel Waugh
- Age range: 11-18 years
- Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 248 families put it first for 246 places – 10 for every 10 places. 99% of them were offered a place. 41 of the 246 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
- Sixth form: Yes
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Roman Catholic
- Nursery provision: No
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 153
- % eligible for free school meals: 13.7%
- Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (more mixed than the Staffordshire Moorlands average)
- English as an additional language: 8% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 8.1% a year (Staffordshire Moorlands 12.6%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
- Where they went: about 45% moved to another school, 55% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Staffordshire: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 114 (2.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 2
- Suspensions for bullying: 94 (1.7 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 50 (0.9 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state secondary schools in Staffordshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 5.0%
- Persistently absent pupils: 12.3%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
- Resourced provision for AutismSpeech, language and communicationSocial, emotional and mental healthModerate learning difficultiesSpecific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)Hearing impairmentVisual impairmentMulti-sensory impairmentPhysical disability 110 places · 130 pupils at the last count
Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.
- Pupils on SEN Support: 9.8%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.3%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Specific learning difficulty: 34 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 30 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 24 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 17 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 14 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 6 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2022 report
- Attainment 8 score: 58.8
- Compared with the area: 11.1 points above the Staffordshire Moorlands average (47.7)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (+8.2 points against an expected 50.6)
- Grade 4+ in English and maths: 82% (Staffordshire Moorlands 68%, England 65%) Broadly steady
- Data year: 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
GCSE results over time
1st of 8 secondary schools in Staffordshire Moorlands for Attainment 8
- #1Painsley Catholic College58.8
- #2Endon High School54.2
- #3Blythe Bridge High School46.6
Click to see the full ranking
Leaver Destinations
- In education, employment, or training a year later: 94.0%
- Went into further education: 86.0%
- Data year: 2024/25
GCSE Subjects Offered
- Maths (General)
- English Literature
- English Language
- Religious Studies
- Science Double Award
- Geography
- History
- German
- Spanish
- Business Studies
- D & T
- Physics (General)
- Biology
- Chemistry (General)
- Art & Design
- Computer Science
- Photography
- Speech & Drama
- Music Studies (General)
- Polish
- Russian
View full Ofsted inspection report
6th of 10 secondary schools in Staffordshire Moorlands for Ofsted rating
- #4James Bateman Middle SchoolGood
- #5Moorside High SchoolGood
- #6Painsley Catholic CollegeGood
- #7The Cheadle AcademyGood
- #8Woodhouse AcademyGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £8,476 (2024-25)
2nd of 12 secondary schools in Staffordshire Moorlands for spending per pupil
- #1The Cheadle Academy£8,716
- #2Painsley Catholic College£8,476
- #3Leek High School£8,213
- #4Biddulph High School£7,629
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)