Bentley West Primary School

Six deaf children learn in mainstream classes here, alongside their hearing classmates, with specialist staff on site and a daily session in the Deaf Base classroom. That single fact says a great deal about Bentley West Primary School, a state primary on Monmouth Road in Bentley, Walsall. It takes children from age 3 in its nursery through to age 11, with 470 pupils on roll against a capacity of 494.

The school opened as a sponsor-led academy on 1 June 2024, joining Leigh Trust the same day. The headteacher is Miss Rebecca Stanley. Because the academy is still new, it has not yet been inspected by Ofsted in its own right.

Families will find a clear values framework, specialist provision for deaf pupils, and a school that was oversubscribed for Reception in 2025. They will also find Key Stage 2 results that sit well below the England average, which is the central question any parent will want answered before choosing.

"Together Everyone Achieves More" is the school's motto, spelled out as TEAM, and it sits alongside a second acronym that shapes daily life: CARES, standing for Creative, Aspiration, Respectful, Excellence and Supportive. Miss Stanley's welcome to families presents these values as the thread running through how pupils learn and how they treat one another. For a parent, the practical point is that expectations are named and repeated, so children hear the same language in the classroom, the playground and assemblies.

Standards are set out plainly. The school's vision describes high expectations for behaviour, for uniform, for completing homework and for caring for others, and it says children learn better where the rules are clear and fair. Inclusion is presented as a defining feature of the school, and that claim is backed by provision rather than slogans: the Deaf Resource Base, a named SEND team, and a set of classroom tools for children who find the school day hard to manage.

Since June 2024 the school has been part of Leigh Trust, a multi-academy trust run as a non-profit charitable company. The trust connection shows up in concrete ways. PE is planned through the trust's use of the Complete PE scheme, admissions follow a single trust policy, and the trust's Leigh Flourish family service runs activities for families with children aged 0 to 5 in its schools.

Early years sits at the start of that picture. Nursery and Reception form the Early Years Foundation Stage, and the school describes it as the stage that secures the foundations children build on through the rest of their primary years. Relationships with parents come first in its stated approach, and parents of Nursery and Reception children can bring their children to the classroom door each morning rather than leaving them at the gate. That is a small practical detail, but for a three-year-old starting school it makes the first weeks gentler.

Results are the weakest part of the picture, and parents should look at them squarely. In the most recent Key Stage 2 assessments, 38% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, against an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 2% reached it in all three subjects, compared with an England average of 8%.

In FindMySchool's proprietary rankings built from official data, the school is 14,648th of 14,969 in England for primary (KS2) results, ranked against all schools in England with published KS2 results, state and independent. That places it below the England average and near the foot of the table.

Look subject by subject and the pattern is uneven rather than uniformly low. Reading is the strongest area: 58% met the expected standard, 17% achieved a high score, and the average scaled score was 102, above the expected standard of 100. Grammar, punctuation and spelling averaged exactly 100, with 47% meeting the expected standard and 15% achieving a high score. Mathematics is the clearest weakness: the average scaled score was 98, 45% met the expected standard and only 5% achieved a high score. In writing, 8% were assessed at greater depth. In science, 48% met the expected standard, against an England average of 82%.

The cohort was 60 pupils, so each child counts for close to two percentage points, and a small number of children can move the headline figures noticeably from one year to the next. Even allowing for that, the mathematics and combined figures are a genuine concern, and the reading result shows where the school is already getting traction.

Classroom support is built around what the school calls Quality First Teaching: work is pitched so each child can access what is being taught at their developmental level. The SEND page describes the tools that sit behind this in some detail. A Now and Next Board gives children a visual timeline of the day. A Talking Tin lets a child record a spoken sentence and play it back when writing. Ear defenders, visual prompts for classroom expectations and a workstation that splits tasks into small steps complete the kit. These are unglamorous, practical supports, and they matter most for the children who struggle to settle.

Extra teaching capacity is aimed at the pupils most likely to fall behind. Through its Pupil Premium spending, the school runs small group interventions in phonics, times tables and reading, adds extra teachers and teaching assistants so pupils can practise key skills, and offers 1:1 support and small group tuition. Pupils working at greater depth are not forgotten: one example the school gives is organising and setting up their own school newspaper. Given the mathematics results, families may want to ask how the times tables and small group work is being targeted.

In the early years, learning follows the Early Years Statutory Framework, taught through topics enriched with trips, visitors and carefully chosen key texts that support speech, language and communication. Continuous provision runs through Nursery and Reception, so children practise taught skills daily through play, alongside guided activities planned to cover the areas of learning. Practitioners use observation and discussion to spot next steps for each child, and the stated aim is for children to reach a Good Level of Development by the end of Reception and move into Year 1 ready for the National Curriculum.

Music follows a clear sequence. Pupils listen, sing, play, evaluate and compose, and the school publishes a Music Development Plan and a School Singing Strategy. The standout detail is the Year 4 programme, described below.

At 11, pupils move to secondary schools through the coordinated arrangements run by Walsall Council. Families should look at the local secondary options themselves and ask the school where recent Year 6 pupils have gone, since that is the best guide to realistic destinations.

The school's own admissions page carries the secondary timetable for the last round, which gives a reliable guide to the rhythm of the year. For September 2026 entry, the Walsall portal opened on 1 September 2025, the on-time closing date was 31 October 2025, and offers were emailed on 2 March 2026. Walsall Council also ran drop-in sessions at Willenhall Library, Darlaston Library, the Lichfield Street Hub and Blakenall Village Centre to help families submit their applications. Parents of pupils now in Year 6 should expect a similar autumn deadline and check the council's published dates.

For deaf pupils, the move to secondary needs particular planning. Families of pupils in the Deaf Resource Base will want to raise secondary options early with Mrs Richmond and the SEND team.

Competition for Reception places is real. In 2025 the school received 101 applications and made 59 offers, making it oversubscribed. The school can admit 30 children in any class, and the trust's admissions policy says every consideration is given to maintaining classes of 30 wherever possible.

Reception applications are coordinated by Walsall Council, not made to the school. Under the Leigh Trust admissions policy for September 2027 entry, the application period starts in September 2026, the closing date is 15 January 2027 and national offer day is 16 April 2027. A child with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school is admitted first. After that, places are allocated in this order:

1. Looked after children.
2. Children with a brother or sister already at the school when the application is made.
3. Children for whom a place is essential on medical or social grounds, supported in writing by a medical practitioner or social worker.
4. Distance, measured in a straight line from home to the school entrance on Monmouth Road, with priority to those living closest.

Siblings in the Nursery do not count for sibling priority. Just as important, a place in the school's nursery does not give priority for Reception, and parents must make a separate Reception application even if their child already attends the nursery.

Nursery places work differently. Children are admitted to the Nursery in the school year following their third birthday, and applications go directly to the school. The trust recommends applying early, during the previous school year, to secure a place.

The Deaf Resource Base has its own route. Places are commissioned by the Local Authority and referrals are made through the Special Educational Needs Assessment and Review (SENAR) service. Admission is limited to pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan identifying hearing impairment or deafness as a primary need, and the number of places is agreed annually with the Local Authority.

For in-year places in Years 1 to 6, families can request an application form from the main school office, and the school also points families to Walsall Council's mid-year admission process. If a year group is full, children join a waiting list and families are told when a place becomes available. Transferring families are offered the chance to see the school at work and meet the headteacher as part of the move.

Emotional support is organised rather than left to chance. The school describes a growing number of children who need help to understand and regulate their feelings, and it has built a Pastoral and SEND team to meet that need. Group support includes morning group, Lego Therapy, Pragmatics and lunchtime clubs, while individual tools such as a 3-1 scale and a feelings fan help children name what they are feeling. Every classroom has its own area where children are encouraged to talk about their emotions. For an anxious child, that combination of named routines and small groups can make the difference between coping and not.

A Learning Mentor works with pupils one to one or in small groups on self-esteem, attitudes to learning and enjoyment of school. Mrs Evans is SENDCo and Designated Teacher for Children in Care, and the SEND team runs a drop-in at parents' evenings. Mr Molloy is the Designated Safeguarding Lead, supported by several deputies whose roles include the attendance lead, the family support worker and the learning mentor.

The school takes part in Operation Encompass, a joint arrangement with Walsall Council and West Midlands Police. When a child has been present at or involved in a reported domestic abuse incident, the school receives a confidential call or email from the police before 9am the next morning, so its trained Safeguarding Team can provide the right support to the child and family. Families who need wider help can also be pointed towards Leigh Flourish, the trust's family service.

Enrichment here rests on four pillars: the Deaf Base, music, sport and a half-termly club programme. None is flashy. Each is specific.

The Deaf Resource Base is the most distinctive thing about Bentley West. It currently supports six deaf children with severe to profound hearing loss, who are fully integrated into mainstream lessons and extra-curricular activities with their hearing peers. The specialist team includes qualified teaching staff for deaf pupils, three specialist learning support assistants and a Deaf instructor, and Mrs Richmond is the Deaf Base Teacher. Every deaf pupil has a daily Deaf Peer Education session in the Deaf Base classroom, covering Deaf culture, language development, multi-channel signs, current affairs and Deaf role models. For hearing children, growing up alongside deaf classmates is an education in itself, and for deaf children, having both deaf and hearing friends supports a positive sense of identity.

Music has a clear structure. In Year 4, every pupil takes part in whole class instrumental lessons delivered by Walsall Music Service, and pupils can continue as an elective in Years 5 and 6. Music tuition also appears among the school's Pupil Premium supports. The practical result is that every child gets a year of hands-on instrumental learning, whatever their family can afford.

Sport runs through the Complete PE scheme from the early years to the end of Key Stage 2, with tasks that grow in complexity and technical difficulty as pupils move up the school. The school subscribes to the Association for Physical Education (afPE), and pupils go swimming as part of PE. On PE days, children come to school already in their kit.

After-school clubs are released each half term for pupils in Years 1 to 6, spanning sports, academic and social themes and led by different members of staff. Clubs run from 3.30pm to 4.30pm and are booked through the SCOPay app. Occasionally a club carries a charge to cover resourcing, such as a science experiment club, and any cost is shown on the club list when it is released. Pupil Premium funding subsidises clubs, trips and the school journey for eligible pupils.

Leigh Flourish adds a family dimension for the youngest children. In 2025/2026 the trust launched stay and plays in each school, a weekly walk and talk at each school, community events and the Startwell Birmingham programme, an NHS approved programme built around 8 key characters that aims to create a healthier environment for children and families.

School runs from 8.35am to 3.25pm, 6 hours 50 minutes a day and 34 hours 10 minutes a week. Drop-off is between 8.35am and 8.45am, with registration from 8.45am to 8.55am. Autumn term 2026 runs from Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December, with half term from 26 to 30 October.

Wraparound care: after-school clubs run until 4.30pm, but they are half-termly clubs rather than daily childcare. A breakfast club is listed among the school's Pupil Premium supports, but its hours and charges are not published, so families needing regular morning or late-afternoon care should contact the school.

Lunches cost £2.65 a day or £13.25 a week through SCOPay. Meals come from the caterer Shires, which holds the Soil Association's Food for Life Gold Catering Mark; 75% of meals are freshly prepared and 50% of produce is locally sourced. Children with allergies wear a red lanyard in the dinner hall.

Uniform is green jumpers or cardigans (logo optional), grey or black trousers, skirts or dresses, white shirts or polo shirts (with a tie for Years 3 to 6), green and white gingham dresses in summer, and plain white or grey headscarves. Items can be bought from supermarkets, and second-hand uniform is available in limited quantities from the school office. This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. The school does not publish transport or bus route information.

For nursery-age children, families should contact the school for current nursery session times, any charges and funded hours arrangements.

Results are well below the England average. 38% met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics against 62% across England, and mathematics was the weakest subject. Families should ask what the school is changing in mathematics and how it is tracking progress in the current Year 6.

There is no inspection verdict yet for this school. The academy has not been inspected since it opened on 1 June 2024. Before this school opened, the predecessor school (URN 104174) was judged Requires Improvement by Ofsted in November 2022. Parents cannot rely on an independent judgement of the current school, so a visit and direct questions carry more weight here.

A nursery place is not a route into Reception. Attendance at the school's nursery gives no priority for a Reception place, and a separate application must be made through Walsall Council. With 101 applications for 59 offers in 2025, families relying on the nursery as a way in could be disappointed.

Wraparound care is limited and unpublished. Clubs finish at 4.30pm and breakfast club details are not set out. Working parents who need full-day care should confirm what is available before applying.

Bentley West Primary School is a young academy with one standout strength: the Deaf Resource Base, which gives deaf children specialist support and a deaf peer group without taking them out of mainstream classes. Around it sit clear values, a named pastoral team, practical classroom tools for children who need them, and a Year 4 instrumental programme delivered by Walsall Music Service.

The main caveat is academic. Key Stage 2 results in reading, writing and mathematics are well below the England average, mathematics is the weakest subject, and there is not yet an inspection judgement on the academy itself.

The school is best suited to local families in Bentley who value an inclusive, structured primary, and it is an especially strong option for deaf children whose plans point to specialist provision within a mainstream setting. Families whose priority is high test results should visit, ask hard questions about mathematics and weigh the alternatives.