The Crestwood School

The Crestwood School continues to perform well as a good school, showcasing a vibrant and engaging environment where students are eager to learn and participate. The new leadership under the headteacher is focused on raising expectations and standards, although not all stakeholders fully understand or accept the changes being implemented. The school offers a strong curriculum and prioritizes reading, enabling students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to thrive academically and socially.

Strengths

• Pupils actively participate in class discussions.
• The provision for pupils with SEND is well managed and effective.
• Leaders have developed an ambitious and well-planned curriculum.
• Pupils have access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
• Staff are trained in safeguarding and act in pupils' best interests.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils repeatedly exhibit poor behaviour despite sanctions.
• Not all pupils, parents, and staff understand the rationale for recent changes.

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 The Crestwood School attended 90.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 9.3% of pupils at The Crestwood School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 The Crestwood School had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 17.2% of pupils at The Crestwood School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 11 pupils and resourced provision with 8 pupils.

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Crestwood School received £8,714 and spent £8,233 for each of its 1,037 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,115,000 (£1,075 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Invictus Education Trust, income was £8,183 and spending £8,002 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Dudley · Dudley local authority: places and applications

The Crestwood School is part of Invictus Education Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Milking Bank Primary School Dudley
• Rufford Primary School Stourbridge
• Ellowes Hall Sports College Dudley
• The Pedmore High School Stourbridge
• Wombourne High School Wolverhampton
• Kinver High School and Sixth Form Stourbridge
• Leasowes High School Halesowen

What is The Crestwood School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Crestwood School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was The Crestwood School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Crestwood School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does The Crestwood School have?

The Crestwood School has 1,023 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Crestwood School cover?

The Crestwood School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Crestwood School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.8, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Crestwood School?

The Crestwood School is at Bromley Lane, Kingswinford, Dudley, West Midlands, DY6 8QG.