Goldthorn Park Primary School

Goldthorn Park Primary School is a larger-than-average primary school in Wolverhampton and is part of Elston Hall Learning Trust. Inspectors found it performing strongly overall: safeguarding standards are met, and most areas - achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing - are at strong standard. Attendance and behaviour are at expected standard. The school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage and pupil mobility. Despite many pupils starting below typical levels and some having no prior nursery experience, pupils achieve well. Disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and pupils who speak English as an additional language are supported effectively. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, early years provision is a particular strength, and pupils benefit from a rich personal development offer. Behaviour is calm and respectful, and parents speak highly of the school. The main areas for further work are attendance and writing presentation. Persistent absence remains above national averages, and leaders continue to work with families to reduce it, including extended term-time holidays. Handwriting and presentation are a school-identified priority so that written work consistently matches the high quality seen elsewhere.

Strengths

• Leaders show a relentless drive and high expectations, helping pupils achieve well from often low starting points.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve very well and often outperform disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language are particularly well supported to develop language and communication skills.
• The curriculum is clear, progressive and well sequenced from the early years onwards.
• Teaching is effective, with secure subject knowledge, strong modelling and useful assessment.
• Early years provision is a significant strength, with a language-rich curriculum and strong foundations for key stage 1.
• Inclusion is at the heart of the school, with early identification and effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with accurate self-evaluation and effective trust support.
• Staff feel well supported, and leaders take effective steps to manage workload and support wellbeing.
• Personal development is broad, including pupil leadership, clubs, trips, careers education and spirituality.
• Pupils behave calmly and respectfully, bullying is rare, and relationships are positive.
• Safeguarding is deeply embedded, and the school meets the safeguarding standards.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains above national averages, and further work is needed to reduce it.
• Extended term-time holidays continue to be a barrier to regular attendance for some families.
• Handwriting and presentation are not yet consistently at the high standard seen across the wider curriculum.

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 Goldthorn Park Primary School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.5% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Goldthorn Park Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 Goldthorn Park Primary School had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.7% 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, 10.1% of pupils at Goldthorn Park Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.7% 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 Goldthorn Park Primary School received £6,831 and spent £6,415 for each of its 419 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £255,000 (£608 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Elston Hall Learning Trust, income was £7,199 and spending £7,100 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.

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

Goldthorn Park Primary School is part of Elston Hall Learning Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Tipton Green Junior School Tipton
• Edward the Elder Primary School Wolverhampton
• Palmers Cross Primary School Wolverhampton
• Elston Hall Primary School Wolverhampton
• Pheasey Park Farm Primary School and Early Years Centre Birmingham

What is Goldthorn Park Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Goldthorn Park Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Goldthorn Park Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Goldthorn Park Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Goldthorn Park Primary School have?

Goldthorn Park Primary School has 436 pupils on roll.

What age range does Goldthorn Park Primary School cover?

Goldthorn Park Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Goldthorn Park Primary School?

Goldthorn Park Primary School is at Ward Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV4 5ET.