Strong Key Stage 2 outcomes are the first thing that stand out here. In 2024, most pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the England average, with similarly high scaled scores in reading and maths. That academic profile sits alongside a clear Catholic identity that shows up in day-to-day routines, pupil leadership and service projects.
Leadership is established. Mrs Natalie Hill has been headteacher since September 2022. The latest Ofsted inspection in July 2024 judged the school Good across all key areas, including early years.
This is a one-form entry primary, serving ages 3 to 11, with capacity for 236 pupils. Admissions are competitive, and most families should approach it as an oversubscribed option rather than a guaranteed place.
The school’s public-facing message is consistent. Its mission statement foregrounds being a Catholic community and placing ambition for all pupils alongside care and order. That is not unusual for Catholic primaries, but the detail matters: it is paired with a strong emphasis on behaviour expectations, responsibility, and practical service to others.
Pupil leadership is a recurring theme in official reporting and school materials. The 2024 inspection highlights how older pupils take on roles such as play leaders, and how pupils speak about kindness and inclusion through everyday interactions. The implication for families is a setting where adults take character education seriously, and children are expected to contribute, not just comply.
Catholic life looks active rather than nominal. The clubs and faith pages point to specific practices, including Rosary sessions in October and May, and the Mini Vinnies group for Years 3 to 6, which links faith to charitable action. For Catholic families, that coherence often matters as much as academic results. For families who are not Catholic, it is still worth reading the admissions criteria carefully, because faith evidence affects priority when the school is oversubscribed.
Early years provision is integrated into the school’s routines and expectations. Nursery and Reception pupils use a dedicated entrance area next to the main entrance, and the prospectus sets out clear start-of-day arrangements and collection routines, which is often reassuring for families with younger children.
The Key Stage 2 picture is unusually strong for a state primary.
In 2024, 93% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 27% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and maths, compared with an England average of 8%. Reading scaled score was 109 and maths scaled score was 107, both above typical national benchmarks. (These figures reflect the most recent published Key Stage 2 outcomes.)
Subject-level indicators support the same story. In 2024, 100% met the expected standard in reading, 97% in maths, and 93% in grammar, punctuation and spelling, with 86% reaching the expected standard in science. The combined reading, maths and grammar total score was 323.
Rankings provide another angle for parents comparing options. Ranked 2,194th in England and 8th in Walsall for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.
What this means in practical terms is that pupils who are already secure readers tend to find plenty of stretch, while pupils who need extra support are in a setting that is demonstrably getting most children over key benchmarks by the end of Year 6.
Parents comparing nearby primaries can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these results side-by-side, rather than relying on reputation alone.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
Reading, Writing & Maths
93.33%
% of pupils achieving expected standard
Reading is positioned as a core driver of the curriculum, and that is reinforced by inspection evidence. The most recent inspection describes reading as central, with children learning to read from the start of school and staff following an established approach. The implication for families is a primary where early literacy is treated as a non-negotiable foundation, not an add-on.
The school’s English pages and documents add texture. They describe an approach built around whole class texts that mix classic children’s literature with modern authors, supported by investment in class sets so pupils can engage with a shared text rather than fragmented extracts. That tends to support vocabulary development and quality discussion, which aligns with the high reading outcomes.
Phonics information indicates the use of Letters and Sounds in published material, and more recent documentation also references Twinkl Phonics as a validated scheme within the school’s strategy work. Where schools have multiple documents online, families should ask which scheme is currently in use in Nursery and Reception, and how the transition is handled into Key Stage 1.
Maths is presented as structured and adaptive. The maths policy references established resources and an active approach in the early years of maths learning, with adaptive teaching intended to remove barriers so all learners can access the curriculum. With maths scaled scores also above typical benchmarks, the evidence points to a coherent system rather than short-term intervention.
Curriculum breadth appears purposeful. The school’s wider learning policy frames foundation subjects as “wider learning projects”, with an explicit intention to be ambitious and aligned to the National Curriculum aims for history, geography, art and design technology. The inspection does, however, identify variability in some foundation subjects, particularly around assessment and knowledge recall over time, which is a useful nuance for parents who value the full curriculum, not only English and maths.
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
As a state primary, the main destination question is transition into Year 7, particularly how well pupils are prepared academically and emotionally for the move.
Transition is addressed explicitly through planning and liaison, especially for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school’s published SEND information describes transition meetings with outside agencies and secondary colleagues such as SENCOs and Year 7 tutors, alongside preparatory visits and handover of targets and concerns. That kind of coordination tends to matter most for pupils who need routine, predictability, or targeted support.
For families seeking a Catholic secondary pathway, there is evidence of links with St Francis of Assisi Catholic College, including references to transition planning, and the college lists the school among its feeder primaries. Not every pupil will follow that route, but it is a relevant indicator of established relationships between settings.
More broadly, pupils appear to leave with strong literacy and numeracy foundations, which typically supports a smoother transition into secondary expectations around independent reading, extended writing, and moving between subject specialists.
Admissions are competitive and operate across two entry points for many families: Nursery and Reception.
The school’s published admission arrangements set the Published Admission Number at 30 for Reception starting September 2026. Applications are made through the local authority process, and the school also requires a Supplementary Information Form to be returned directly to the school by the same closing date.
The key local authority dates for September 2026 Reception entry include an application portal opening on 01 September 2025, a national closing date of 15 January 2026, and offers issued on 16 April 2026.
For the most recent Reception entry route data available there were 51 applications for 30 offers, a ratio of 1.7 applications per place. The school is recorded as oversubscribed. With first-preference demand also close to the number of places, many families will be competing within the priority criteria rather than relying on spare capacity.
As a Catholic voluntary aided school, priority is shaped by Catholic status and parish connections when the school is oversubscribed, with distance used as a tie-break within categories. Evidence of Catholic baptism is required for categories that rely on it, and families should read the published criteria carefully and gather documentation early.
Parents trying to assess their likelihood of a place should use FindMySchool Map Search to measure their home-to-school distance precisely, then compare it with how oversubscription has played out historically. Even when a school measures distance, small differences can matter.
The Nursery Admission Number is published as 26, with places offered on a full-time or part-time basis. Importantly, a Nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place later. The Nursery policy states applications for September 2026 should be returned by Friday 13 February 2026, and it sets out the evidence required, including birth certificate, and baptism evidence where relevant.
Nursery fees can vary and may change, so families should check the school’s current nursery information directly. Government-funded early education hours may be available for eligible families.
Applications
51
Total received
Places Offered
30
Subscription Rate
1.7x
Apps per place
Pastoral care is positioned as a strength in both inspection reporting and school documentation. Relationships between adults and pupils are described as warm and respectful, and the school emphasises clear routines and high expectations for attendance and punctuality.
The school’s approach to personal development appears structured rather than occasional. A termly induction week focuses on relationships, wellbeing, behaviour expectations, British Values and online safety, linking Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching into a coherent framework for conduct. For parents, the implication is consistency, expectations are taught explicitly, revisited regularly, and linked to daily behaviour rather than delivered only through assemblies.
SEND practice is presented as integrated. Published SEND information uses the expectation that every teacher is responsible for SEND, and the inspection report describes pupils with SEND being well supported through adaptive teaching and staff dedication to access. That matters in a small primary, because the strongest inclusion often comes from consistent classroom routines, not just one-off interventions.
Extracurricular life is most convincing when it is specific. Here, the club list includes named activities that reflect both the Catholic ethos and a practical enrichment offer.
Choir is singled out as a popular option, and the most recent inspection notes performance in community events and at a local care home. The implication is that music is used as a public-facing contribution, not only a school-internal activity, which often builds confidence and routine performance skills.
Mini Vinnies is a distinctive feature. It links service projects to faith formation for pupils in Years 3 to 6, and appears repeatedly in school faith content. Rosary sessions during October and May provide another marker of a school where Catholic practice is present beyond RE lessons.
The gardening and eco club, plus “eco warriors” activity, connect to the Wellbeing Garden, which the school highlights as a developed space used at breaktimes. This matters because outdoor activity is not framed only as sport, it is tied to reflection, care for creation, and seasonal learning.
Homework Club and booster support sessions (by invitation) sit alongside Computer Club and Art Club. That mix suggests a school that uses clubs both for targeted academic support and for interest-based enrichment, which can suit different types of child.
The published prospectus sets out operational routines clearly. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 are collected at 3:15pm, and Breakfast Club operates from 7:30am to 8:45am during term time. After School Club runs from 3:15pm to 5:15pm.
For families driving, the prospectus states the car park is for staff only, so drop-off and pick-up need a realistic plan. Families should also ask about any staggered start arrangements for Nursery and Reception, since early years entry and collection can operate differently.
Admission is competitive. The school is oversubscribed, and the combination of a faith priority structure and limited Reception places means some families will need to include realistic alternatives on the local authority form.
Faith criteria are meaningful. Evidence of Catholic baptism and parish connections affects priority when the school is oversubscribed, and families should be comfortable with a setting where Catholic life is visible in clubs, prayer, and service expectations.
Curriculum consistency across all subjects is still developing. Inspectors highlighted that in some subjects, assessment and longer-term knowledge recall are not consistently strong, which can lead to gaps in learning in a minority of areas.
Early years ambition is a current improvement point. While early reading and maths are strong, some early years activities have been identified as not ambitious enough in a way that can limit curiosity and creativity, so parents of Nursery and Reception children may want to ask what has changed since July 2024.
This is a high-performing state Catholic primary with a clear identity and strong outcomes, particularly in reading and maths. It should suit families who want a faith-shaped school culture, structured expectations around behaviour and responsibility, and a curriculum where early literacy is treated as central.
Competition for places is the limiting factor. Families who are serious about it should shortlist early, use Saved Schools to track deadlines and alternatives, and read the published admissions criteria carefully before relying on this as a single option.
Yes, on the evidence available it is performing strongly. The school was judged Good at its July 2024 inspection across all key areas, and its 2024 Key Stage 2 outcomes are well above England averages, with 93% meeting expected standards in reading, writing and maths combined.
Yes. The school is recorded as oversubscribed for primary entry, and the available data shows more Reception applications than places. Families should plan for competition and include alternative preferences on the local authority form.
Applications for Reception are made through the local authority’s coordinated process for the normal admissions round. The school’s published arrangements also require a Supplementary Information Form to be returned directly to the school by the closing date, alongside any required faith documentation.
Nursery admissions are handled directly under the school’s Nursery admissions policy, with a published admission number of 26. A Nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place later, and families must still apply for Reception through the local authority process.
The published prospectus describes a term-time Breakfast Club (7:30am to 8:45am) and an After School Club (3:15pm to 5:15pm). Families should confirm availability and booking arrangements for their intended start date, particularly for Nursery and Reception children.
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