Palfrey Junior School

Palfrey Junior School is performing well overall, with safeguarding standards met and an inclusive, supportive environment that promotes pupil wellbeing. The school has made significant strides in improving attendance, which is now marginally above the national average, and leaders have shown a commitment to addressing barriers faced by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Despite notable strengths in behaviour and a well-sequenced curriculum, particularly in foundational knowledge of reading, writing, and mathematics, challenges remain in improving reading outcomes for all pupils, which currently fall below national averages.

Strengths

• Strong culture of safeguarding with all legal requirements met.
• High attendance levels that are above national averages.
• Consistent and positive behaviour management strategies.
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum that builds knowledge across subjects.
• Supportive relationships between staff and pupils creating a safe learning environment.
• Effective adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Areas for Improvement

• Reading outcomes at the end of key stage 2 remain below national averages.
• Achievement in reading is in the early stages of improvement and yet to reflect significant progress in published outcomes.

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 Palfrey Junior School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.0% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Palfrey Junior 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 Palfrey Junior School had 20.4 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, 23.4% of pupils at Palfrey Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Palfrey Junior School received £8,070 and spent £8,157 for each of its 359 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £78,000 (£217 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 Walsall · Walsall local authority: places and applications

What is Palfrey Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Palfrey Junior School is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Palfrey Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Palfrey Junior School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Palfrey Junior School have?

Palfrey Junior School has 359 pupils on roll.

What age range does Palfrey Junior School cover?

Palfrey Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Palfrey Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Palfrey Junior School?

Palfrey Junior School is at Dale Street, Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 4AH.