Pennyhill Primary School

Pennyhill Primary School is a large, inclusive primary in West Bromwich serving a community with above-average deprivation and a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and judged the school to be performing well overall: early years and personal development/wellbeing are strong, while achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance are at the expected standard. Children get a flying start in Nursery and Reception, and pupils benefit from a caring, inclusive culture, effective pastoral support, and a broad curriculum. Pupils behave well, feel safe, and achieve well by the end of Year 6, with disadvantaged pupils supported effectively and gaps closing. Attendance is improving, though overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages, and leaders are rightly continuing to work with families. The main teaching concern is that checks on understanding are not consistently used across all classes, so some misconceptions persist longer than they should. Leaders and governors are ambitious, know the school well, and provide strong support and challenge. Overall, this is a school with significant strengths in early years, personal development, inclusion, and leadership; it has no serious weaknesses but has clear next steps around attendance and consistent checking of pupils' understanding.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children a flying start and prepares them well for Year 1.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised and woven through the curriculum.
• Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a real strength.
• Pastoral support is highly effective and helps pupils feel safe and valued.
• Pupils behave very well, show positive attitudes and treat others with respect.
• Pupils achieve well overall and leave Year 6 prepared for secondary school.
• Disadvantaged pupils receive effective support and gaps are closing.
• Inclusion is highly caring, with pupils with SEND supported effectively in lessons.
• Leaders and governors work together effectively with a clear focus on pupils.
• Safeguarding systems are effective and staff act quickly when concerns arise.
• Staff feel valued and supported, with training and wellbeing prioritised.
• Attendance is improving over time, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not consistently check understanding in all classes, so some misconceptions continue for longer than they should.
• Overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages, although improving.
• Leaders should continue working closely with families whose children attend less regularly.

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 Pennyhill Primary School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.1% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Pennyhill Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Pennyhill Primary School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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, 16.2% of pupils at Pennyhill Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Pennyhill Primary School received £7,044 and spent £6,465 for each of its 624 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,890,000 (£3,029 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 West Bromwich · Sandwell local authority: places and applications

What is Pennyhill Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Pennyhill Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Pennyhill Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Pennyhill Primary School have?

Pennyhill Primary School has 647 pupils on roll.

What age range does Pennyhill Primary School cover?

Pennyhill Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Pennyhill Primary School?

Pennyhill Primary School is at Hollyhedge Road, Pennyhill Primary School, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B71 3BU.