Finstall First School

Finstall First School is a welcoming, ambitious school where most pupils achieve high standards, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. Inspectors judged the school good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, following a previous outstanding judgement. Pupils are polite, thoughtful and focused, playtimes are calm, and pupils say they feel happy and safe. The curriculum is broad and carefully sequenced, phonics is taught effectively, and a wide range of extracurricular activities and visits enrich pupils’ learning. Early years provision is calm and well run, with effective support for children’s fine motor development, and pupils are well prepared for middle school. Leadership is a strength: governors know the school well and provide appropriate support and challenge, while staff well-being and workload are managed effectively. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. However, two areas need improvement. Handwriting and letter formation are not taught consistently, so many pupils do not form letters correctly; the school has begun revising this curriculum. In addition, support for some pupils with SEND is not consistently effective, meaning some do not achieve as well as they should. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strengths

• Broad, ambitious and carefully crafted curriculum
• Most pupils achieve high standards in reading, writing and mathematics
• Effective daily phonics teaching with extra support for pupils who need it
• Strong reading culture with well-matched books and library access
• High expectations for behaviour; pupils are polite, thoughtful and focused
• Calm and purposeful early years environment with effective fine motor support
• Wide range of inclusive extracurricular activities, visits and visitors
• Pupils understand British values and take on leadership roles
• Governors are knowledgeable and provide appropriate support and challenge
• Staff well-being and workload are supported effectively, keeping the team stable
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Handwriting and letter formation are taught inconsistently, leaving many pupils unable to form letters correctly
• Support for some pupils with SEND is inconsistent, so some do not achieve well enough

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 Finstall First School attended 97.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.1% 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 Finstall First 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 Finstall First School had 23.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 6.4% of pupils at Finstall First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 Finstall First School received £6,175 and spent £6,195 for each of its 296 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £112,000 (£380 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 Bromsgrove · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Finstall First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Finstall First School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Finstall First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Finstall First School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Finstall First School have?

Finstall First School has 296 pupils on roll.

What age range does Finstall First School cover?

Finstall First School for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is Finstall First School?

Finstall First School is at Carnforth Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 2HS.