Old Hill Primary School

Old Hill Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, supported and part of a positive community. Inspectors found the school performing securely overall, with its strongest work in the early years and in pupils' personal development and wellbeing. Children in early years benefit from well-organised, engaging learning, effective phonics and language teaching, and quick identification of needs, so they make very positive progress and are ready for Year 1. Pupils across the school take on meaningful roles, learn about values and safety, and enjoy a wide range of musical, sporting, outdoor and community experiences. Achievement is generally secure. Pupils typically reach expected standards in reading and writing by the end of Year 6, and mathematics outcomes are above national averages. Reading and phonics are taught effectively, behaviour is generally good, bullying is rare, and pupils with the most complex SEND needs receive effective personalised provision. Inclusion is a clear strength: staff know pupils well and work with families and professionals to remove barriers. However, at times adults do too much for pupils with SEND, reducing opportunities for independence, and a small number of pupils have very low attendance that pulls down overall figures. Leaders understand the school's strengths and priorities and have managed significant staffing changes since the previous inspection; the headteacher and deputy were appointed in 2022, and most leaders and teachers are new. The school serves an area of well above average deprivation, with above-average free school meals eligibility. Safeguarding requirements are met. Some newer leaders, especially subject leaders, are still developing their expertise, and teaching in some wider curriculum subjects does not consistently build on prior knowledge, so higher-attaining pupils do not always deepen their understanding. Spelling improvements are not yet consistent across classes. The next steps focus on strengthening adaptive practice for SEND independence, ensuring wider curriculum learning builds securely on what pupils know, and developing leadership capacity across the school.

Strengths

• Strong early years provision where children, including those with SEND, make very positive progress.
• Personal development and wellbeing are central, with pupils taking on roles and learning values such as democracy and respect.
• A caring and inclusive ethos where staff know pupils well and vulnerable pupils feel supported.
• Effective safeguarding culture; pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe.
• Reading and phonics taught effectively, helping most pupils read fluently and understand what they read.
• Mathematics outcomes are above national averages.
• Pupils behave generally well, show positive attitudes to learning, and bullying is rare.
• A broad programme of wider experiences, including music, sports, trips, woodland learning and community performances.
• Provision for pupils with the most complex SEND needs is effective and personalised.
• Leaders use additional funding carefully to support disadvantaged pupils' achievement and participation.
• Staff benefit from relevant professional development, and leaders are mindful of workload.
• Governors understand their responsibilities and fulfil statutory duties well.
• Art is a strength, with pupils producing work of a high standard.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils with SEND are over-supported by adults, which limits their independence.
• In some wider curriculum subjects, teaching does not build well enough on what pupils already know and can do.
• Higher-attaining pupils do not always deepen their knowledge as much as they could in some wider curriculum subjects.
• Spelling and writing improvements are not yet consistent across all classes.
• Some leaders, particularly subject leaders, are new and still developing expertise; leadership is not consistently embedded across all areas.
• A small number of pupils have particularly low attendance, which brings overall attendance figures down.
• Occasionally, some pupils lose focus in lessons.

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 Old Hill Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.8% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Old Hill 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 Old Hill Primary School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.1% 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, 6.3% of pupils at Old Hill Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% 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 Old Hill Primary School received £7,905 and spent £8,604 for each of its 225 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £181,000 (£806 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 Cradley Heath · Sandwell local authority: places and applications

Old Hill Primary School is part of The Rowley Learning Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Temple Meadow Primary School Cradley Heath
• Brickhouse Primary School Rowley Regis
• Springfield Primary School Rowley Regis

What is Old Hill Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Old Hill Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Old Hill Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Old Hill Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Old Hill Primary School have?

Old Hill Primary School has 237 pupils on roll.

What age range does Old Hill Primary School cover?

Old Hill Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Old Hill Primary School?

Old Hill Primary School is at Lawrence Lane, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 6DR.