St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School

St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School is a welcoming, calm and orderly Roman Catholic primary where pupils are happy, attend well and achieve well. Inspectors found strong provision across the school, including an ambitious curriculum that reflects the local community, effective early years sequencing, and reading at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils with SEND are identified early and well supported, behaviour is good, attendance systems are highly effective, and personal development is a clear priority, with pupils taking on leadership roles and benefiting from enrichment trips and clubs. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and governors are well informed, forward thinking and effective in providing challenge and support. Staff feel valued and listened to. The main areas for improvement are in assessment and subject leadership: in some subjects, teachers do not consistently spot misconceptions or when pupils are stuck, so some pupils move on before they are ready, and leadership in some subjects is at an early stage, meaning support for staff is not yet having a consistent impact. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and inspectors took the pandemic's impact into account. The school is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic primary for pupils aged 3 to 11 and is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Strengths

• Welcoming, nurturing and calm school culture where pupils feel safe and cared for
• High expectations for all pupils, who achieve well and attend well
• Ambitious curriculum that reflects the local community and identifies key knowledge
• Well-sequenced early years curriculum that connects to key stage 1
• Reading is central, with an effective phonics programme and strong support for pupils falling behind
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and well supported so they learn alongside peers
• Good behaviour and effective attendance procedures that contribute to high attendance
• Strong personal development, including health, relationships, British values, safety and enrichment
• Effective governors who provide a good balance of challenge and support
• Staff feel listened to, valued and trusted, with workload considered

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently identify pupils' mistakes or recognise when pupils are stuck
• Assessment is not used well enough across all subjects to inform future learning
• Some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready or lack opportunities to deepen understanding
• Leadership in some subjects is at an early stage of development
• Subject leaders do not have a sufficiently clear understanding of strengths, weaknesses and support needs in their subjects
• Support from some subject leaders is not yet having a consistent impact on pupils' learning

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.2% of pupils at St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School received £7,057 and spent £7,226 for each of its 353 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £12,000 (-£34 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School have?

St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School has 353 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School cover?

St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School?

St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School is at Perry Common Road, Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands, B23 7AB.