Oakham Primary School

Oakham Primary School is performing strongly overall. Pupils are welcomed into a caring school where the motto ‘succeeding together’ is evident, relationships between staff and pupils are strong, and pupils behave exceptionally well. Pupils feel safe, learn willingly and benefit from an exceptionally rich personal development offer, including leadership roles, trips, community activities and a strong personal, social, health and economic curriculum. The school’s early reading provision is a particular strength: children begin learning sounds in Nursery, follow a well-designed phonics programme and by the end of key stage 1 the vast majority read fluently. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported extremely well, including through tailored ‘Den’ provision. Governors are highly committed and provide effective support and challenge, and staff are overwhelmingly positive about workload, well-being and being part of the ‘Oakham family’. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. However, in some mathematics lessons pupils do not get enough opportunities to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills, so some are not as secure in their mathematical knowledge as they should be. Assessment in the foundation curriculum is still being developed and is not always used effectively to adapt lessons or close gaps, and in some foundation subjects teachers’ subject pedagogical knowledge is less well developed. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2013, as it had previously been exempt after being judged outstanding. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade is awarded; the report judges quality of education, leadership and management, and early years provision as good, and behaviour and attitudes and personal development as outstanding.

Strengths

• Early reading is prioritised from Nursery, with a well-designed phonics programme and strong progress by the end of key stage 1.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well, show a keen desire to learn and play together happily at social times.
• Personal development is exceptional, with a comprehensive PSHE programme and a wide range of trips, visitors and extra-curricular opportunities.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported extremely well, including through tailored ‘Den’ provision.
• Governors are highly committed, understand the school’s strengths and provide effective support and challenge.
• Staff are overwhelmingly positive about workload and well-being and are proud to be part of the ‘Oakham family’.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective and pupils feel safe in school.

Areas for Improvement

• In some mathematics lessons, pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills, leaving some less secure in their mathematical knowledge.
• Assessment in the foundation curriculum is still being developed and is not always used effectively to adapt lessons or close gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
• In some foundation subjects, teachers’ subject pedagogical knowledge is less well developed, limiting how effectively content is taught.

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 Oakham Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.4% 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 Oakham 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 Oakham Primary School had 25.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.3% 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, 13.1% of pupils at Oakham Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 Oakham Primary School received £6,785 and spent £6,778 for each of its 451 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £399,000 (£885 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 Oldbury · Sandwell local authority: places and applications

What is Oakham Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Oakham Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Oakham Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Oakham Primary School have?

Oakham Primary School has 466 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oakham Primary School cover?

Oakham Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Oakham Primary School?

Oakham Primary School is at Darbys Hill Road, Tividale, Oldbury, West Midlands, B69 1SG.