Halesowen CofE Primary School

Halesowen CofE Primary School has improved since its previous inspection and is now judged good across every area: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school is described as inclusive and welcoming, particularly for pupils who join partway through their education or speak English as an additional language, and staff provide strong additional support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils respond well to the school's high expectations, behave positively in lessons and at social times, and take part in a wide range of leadership roles and enrichment activities. The curriculum has been redesigned and is well sequenced, with teachers typically demonstrating good subject knowledge and teaching assistants offering effective support. Pupils achieve well in English and mathematics, although published 2024 mathematics data was below the national average, largely reflecting pupils who joined during key stage 2. Reading and phonics are taught rigorously, the early years prioritises communication and language, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Governors, the local authority and the diocese are said to support the school well, and staff report feeling proud to work there. The main areas for development concern assessment and subject leadership. The school's approach to checking what pupils know and remember is not yet consistent across the wider curriculum, and most foundation subject leaders are new to their roles and have not yet had time to identify and drive further improvements. Attendance is also a significant concern: despite the school's rigorous work to analyse and follow up absence, too many disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND remain persistently absent and miss vital learning.

Strengths

• Inclusive ethos where all pupils, including mid-year arrivals and those with English as an additional language, are welcomed and settle quickly
• High expectations that pupils strive to meet, reflected in kind behaviour and positive attitudes to learning
• Strong provision for pupils with SEND, including comprehensive plans, external specialist input and a well-equipped nurture room
• Rigorous phonics and early reading teaching with well-matched books and extra support for pupils who struggle
• Pupils achieve well in English and mathematics, with particular strength in multiplication skills
• Early years prioritises communication and language, with constant staff interaction and clear routines
• A broad personal development offer, including leadership roles such as house captains and peer mediators, plus clubs and enrichment
• Pupils feel safe, know how to raise concerns, and are confident bullying is dealt with swiftly
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• A well-sequenced, redesigned curriculum that builds knowledge progressively
• Committed governors with a firm understanding of their statutory duties, and positive staff morale

Areas for Improvement

• The approach to checking what pupils know and remember over time is underdeveloped in the wider curriculum, leaving gaps in knowledge
• Some pupils, including in the early years, do not build knowledge securely over time
• Most foundation subject leaders are new to their roles and not yet able to identify where further curriculum improvements are needed
• Curriculum monitoring and evaluation in foundation subjects is not yet fully effective
• Too many disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are persistently absent and fall behind their peers
• Published 2024 mathematics data was below the national average

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 Halesowen CofE Primary School attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.6% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Halesowen CofE Primary 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 Halesowen CofE Primary School had 17.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 30.0% of pupils at Halesowen CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 Halesowen CofE Primary School received £8,544 and spent £8,221 for each of its 190 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £290,000 (£1,528 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Halesowen · Dudley local authority: places and applications

What is Halesowen CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Halesowen CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Halesowen CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Halesowen CofE Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Halesowen CofE Primary School have?

Halesowen CofE Primary School has 190 pupils on roll.

What age range does Halesowen CofE Primary School cover?

Halesowen CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Halesowen CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Halesowen CofE Primary School?

Halesowen CofE Primary School is at High Street, Halesowen, West Midlands, B63 3BB.