Kates Hill Primary School

Kates Hill Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school within Dudley Academies Trust, serving a relatively large pupil population in an area of high deprivation and with well-above-average free school meals eligibility. Safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard overall, with pupils typically safe, well cared for and positive about school, and with calm behaviour, improving attendance, strong inclusion and secure leadership and governance. Many pupils join at non-standard times or with disrupted prior education, which leaders manage thoughtfully. Outcomes are broadly in line with national averages and have improved, with effective early reading and increasingly consistent mathematics, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND generally supported to progress. However, two areas need attention. Curriculum and teaching are not yet consistently strong in spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting, and assessment/feedback does not always address gaps quickly enough. Early years delivery is inconsistent, particularly in extending children's language and planning activities that build securely on learning. Persistent absence also remains above national levels, although it is falling year on year. Leaders have a clear understanding of priorities, and the trust and governors provide effective support and challenge. Next steps focus on making assessment more consistent, sequencing spelling and handwriting systematically, improving attendance, strengthening early years interactions and curriculum delivery, and increasing engagement with parents and carers.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, known and included in a welcoming school community.
• Behaviour is typically calm and respectful, with rare bullying and effective staff responses.
• Attendance has improved each year and persistent absence has fallen despite significant barriers.
• Leaders identify SEND and other needs early and provide timely, well-targeted support.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND typically make appropriate progress from their starting points.
• Leadership, governance and trust support are secure, with clear priorities and effective staff development.
• The personal development programme is broad, coherent and supported by enrichment and wellbeing provision.
• Early reading and phonics are taught effectively, and mathematics teaching is becoming increasingly consistent.
• The wider curriculum is broad, balanced and sequenced to build knowledge over time.
• Staff build strong relationships with pupils and families and provide effective pastoral care.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum and teaching require attention because spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting are not systematically planned or sequenced across the school.
• Expectations for handwriting, spelling and grammar vary between classes, leading to persistent gaps for some pupils.
• Assessment and feedback do not always identify and address errors quickly enough to close gaps.
• Early years provision is inconsistent, with missed opportunities for high-quality language interactions during independent learning.
• Early years activities are not always thoughtfully planned to build on key learning, which can reduce engagement.
• Some pupils, including children in early years, are not consistently prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Persistent absence remains above national levels, and some pupils still do not attend regularly enough to benefit fully from the curriculum.
• Parent and carer engagement needs further strengthening, particularly for families facing additional challenges or new to the school.

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 Kates Hill Primary School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.1% 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, 4.4% of pupils at Kates Hill 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 Kates Hill Primary School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.7% 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, 19.8% of pupils at Kates 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 2024–25 Kates Hill Primary School received £7,484 and spent £7,788 for each of its 419 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £202,000 (£483 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Dudley Academies Trust, income was £8,942 and spending £8,862 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

Kates Hill Primary School is part of Dudley Academies Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Blowers Green Primary School Dudley
• St James Academy Dudley
• The Link Academy Dudley
• Pegasus Academy Dudley
• Beacon Hill Academy Dudley
• The Old Park School Brierley Hill
• Greenfield Primary School Stourbridge

What is Kates Hill Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kates Hill Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Kates Hill Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Kates Hill Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Kates Hill Primary School have?

Kates Hill Primary School has 445 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kates Hill Primary School cover?

Kates Hill Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kates Hill Primary School?

Kates Hill Primary School is at Peel Street, Dudley, West Midlands, DY2 7HP.