Stoke-on-Trent Foundation Stage Population Data
In the last year (2024/25), as workstreams were ramped up in the seven target Abbey Hulton and Bentilee primary schools, there were on average small improvements in overall Foundation Stage scores. This average improvement is positive, but it must be noted that results for individual schools differ, with some having lower Foundation Stage Scores compared to last year.
Across all seven schools, there was on average of 1.2 percentage point increase in children reaching a Good Level of Development (61.8% in 2024 to 63.0% in 2025)*. This compares favourably with the small citywide increase of 0.6 percentage points (from 63.9% in 2024 to 64.5% in 2025). However, none of the target schools reached the government 2028 target of 75% GLD. There was also, on average, a 0.8 percentage point increase in children reaching the expected level in Communication and Language (73.5% in 2024 to 74.3% in 2025)* . This compares with a citywide slight decrease of 0.4 percentage points (from 75.1% to 74.7%).
*This is now closer to the 2022 GLD percentage of 63.3%.
*This is now closer to the 2022 Language and Communication percentage of 75.8%.
Free school meal eligibility
The number of children eligible for Free School Meals has decreased in the Thrive at Five wards, from 125 children (44.2% of our cohort) in 2024 to 109 children (38.4% of our cohort) in 2025. Nevertheless, this is still a higher percentage than in the Local Authority as a whole (32.6%). Caution is needed when interpreting this data, as this is a small group of children.
There were encouraging improvements made by children eligible for FSM. The seven target primary schools recorded an 11.4 percentage point increase in FSM-eligible children achieving a Good Level of Development. This increase, from 52.8% to 64.2%, contrasts with the equivalent citywide data which showed a slight fall of 0.5 percentage points (from 58.7% to 58.2%). Thus, children eligible for FSM in Thrive at Five wards are now more likely to be achieving a Good Level of Development than FSM-eligible children across the city. 64.2% also compares favourably to the number of children from the whole cohort who reached GLD – 63.0%, suggesting this sub-sample of children is doing better than the full reception cohort.
Looking specifically at Communication and Language, the seven primary schools recorded on average a 1.6 percentage point increase in FSM-eligible children reaching the expected level. This increase, from 73.6% to 75.2%, compares with the equivalent citywide figures which showed a fall of 4 percentage points (from 73.3% to 69.3%).
These improvements for FSM-eligible children can also be seen over a longer timeframe. In 2022, broadly the same percentage of FSM-eligible children reached a Good Level of Development inside the target wards and citywide (51.2% in target wards and 51.1% citywide). For 2025, the figures were 64.2% in the target wards and 58.2% citywide (a 13 percentage point increase in Thrive at Five wards compared to a 7.1 percentage point increase in Stoke-on-Trent).
Looking specifically at Communication and Language over the period 2022 to 2025, the seven primary schools recorded an 8.3 percentage point increase in FSM-eligible children reaching the expected level. This increase, from 66.9% to 75.2%, is substantially larger than the citywide increase of 2.7 percentage points (from 66.6% to 69.3%) over the same period.
Special Educational Needs
The number of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) has increased in the Thrive at Five wards, from 42 children (14.8% of cohort) in 2024 to 77 children (27.1% of cohort) in 2025. This is higher than the Local Authority level of 15.7% in 2025. Caution is again needed when interpreting this data as it’s a small number of children and Special Educational Needs includes a number of needs, making this a heterogenous group.
Across all seven schools, on average there was a 3.2 percentage point increase in children with SEN reaching a Good Level of Development (21.4% in 2024 to 24.7% in 2025). This compares with citywide decrease of 0.1 percentage points (from 20.8% in 2024 to 20.7% in 2025). When comparing 2022 to 2025, the Thrive at Five schools are on an upward trajectory from 22.2% in 2022 to 24.7% in 2025, similar to an increase citywide (16.5% in 2022 to 20.7% in 2025).
For Communication and Language, there was a 1.7 percentage point decrease in children with SEN reaching the expected level (38.1% in 2024 to 36.4% in 2025). This continues a decreasing trend from 40.7% in 2022. This negative trend is comparable to a citywide slight decrease of 1.4 percentage points from 2022 to 2025 and 0.9 percentage points from 2024 to 2025 (from 30.5% in 2022, 30.0% in 2024 to 29.1% to 2025).
Conclusion
The data show encouraging signs of improvement in early years outcomes in Abbey Hulton and Bentilee, particularly for children eligible for Free School Meals but also for the increasing number of children with SEN. Between 2024 and 2025, the proportion of children achieving a Good Level of Development rose faster in these schools than citywide averages, and children eligible for FSM in Thrive at Five wards are now more likely to achieve Good Level of Development than their peers across Stoke-on-Trent.
Communication and Language outcomes have also improved for this group, with notable gains since 2022. Overall GLD and Communication and Language outcomes are moving in a positive direction, towards the 75% GLD target set for 2028. That said, progress is uneven between schools and there is more work to be done supporting schools implementing evidence-based initiatives to further improve Early Years Foundation Stage scores. The presented percentages are also influenced by factors such as cohort size, number of children with English as an additional language, children’s age and gender.