Church Lawton School
Cherry Tree Avenue, Church Lawton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 3ELOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Church Lawton School is a special school in Stoke-on-Trent for ages 4 to 19. It is one of the 175 schools in Cheshire East. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 16 November 2022, report published 29 March 2023
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 16 November 2022
Pupils, and students in the sixth form, enjoy accessing the wide range of enrichment opportunities on offer at Church Lawton School. They benefit from activities such as swimming and cooking. Pupils enjoy taking part in art and games clubs. These opportunities help pupils to broaden their experiences and improve their independence. Many pupils confidently shared their achievements with inspectors. Pupils are clearly happy at this school. Pupils respond well to leaders' high expectations for their behaviour. Leaders ensure that the school is calm and orderly. Pupils strive to gain student or class of the week in assemblies. They value the time that they spend with Lottie, the therapy dog. This helps pupils to feel safe in school. Pupils know who to speak to if they have any worries or concerns. They trust staff to sort out any problems that they experience. Leaders deal with bullying effectively. Leaders expect pupils to achieve well. Pupils, including those students in the sixth form, enjoy learning and they achieve well in most subjects. Caring staff ensure that pupils receive suitable support to meet their special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The relationships fostered between staff, pupils, and parents and carers are typically positive. Most parents reported that their children appreciate the help and guidance that leaders provide.
What the school should improve
- In a small number of foundation subjects, leaders have not ensured that the knowledge that pupils must learn is identified in sufficient detail. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that they refine the curriculum to clearly identify the knowledge that pupils must learn.
- In a few curriculum areas, subject leaders do not make detailed enough checks to ensure that teachers implement the curriculum consistently well. This hinders how well leaders can support teachers to improve the delivery of the curriculum. Senior leaders should ensure that subject leaders are well trained to monitor the quality of the delivery of the curriculum. This is so that subject leaders can provide teachers with effective support and guidance.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
7 pupils took the tests
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
11 pupils in the year group
Pupil numbers and mix
86 pupils on roll, with places for 84
Schools near Church Lawton School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wonder Star School | 0.6 miles | Report card: Expected standard | Not published |
| TILT Education | 0.7 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
| Bluebell School Ltd | 2 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | Attainment 8: 7.7 |
| Castle Hill School | 3 miles | Report card: Needs attention to strong standard | Not published |
| Watermill School | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 0% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Free schools special
- Sector
- Free school
- Trust
- LIBERTY ACADEMY TRUST LTD.
- Age range
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Scales
- Phone
- 01270877601
- Address
- Cherry Tree Avenue, Church Lawton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 3EL
- Local authority
- Cheshire East
- URN
- 141559
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.