St Oswald's CofE Primary School

St Oswald's CofE Primary School is performing strongly overall. Inspectors found the school reaches a strong standard in achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing; attendance and behaviour are at the expected standard. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils achieve well, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and children in early years make substantial gains from often low starting points. Reading and phonics are particular strengths, and the school's inclusive, ambitious curriculum is supported by high-quality staff development and effective trust collaboration. The school is a small Church of England primary within the Diocese of Worcester multi-academy trust, with above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND/EHC plans. Leaders, including the headteacher and assistant head/SENDCo appointed in September 2025, have a secure understanding of the school's context and have acted decisively to build on strengths. Pupils behave very well, feel safe and benefit from a rich personal development programme, including free clubs, pastoral support and wider experiences. The main areas for further work are attendance and consistency. Although attendance is broadly in line with national figures, persistent absence remains too high and too many pupils miss school too often. Leaders should also ensure handwriting expectations are implemented consistently and that curriculum implementation remains consistently strong across all subjects and classes.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well across the curriculum, with strong outcomes overall and particularly impressive outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• Children in early years make substantial gains from often low starting points.
• Reading and phonics are taught consistently and effectively, with books matched to pupils' reading knowledge.
• Pupils with SEND achieve well, access the same curriculum as peers, and are supported to be independent.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well sequenced, and supported by high-quality professional development.
• Inclusion is highly effective, with early identification of needs and well-matched adaptations.
• Personal development is a significant strength, including relationships, diversity, pastoral care and wide enrichment opportunities.
• Pupils behave very well, are polite and respectful, and contribute to a calm school atmosphere.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with reflective leaders, effective support and challenge, and positive staff and parent views.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils feeling safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence is above national figures, and too many pupils miss school too often.
• Expectations for handwriting are not yet implemented as fully and consistently as other curriculum aspects.
• Curriculum implementation is not yet consistently strong across all subjects and classes.

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 St Oswald's CofE Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.6% 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, 3.2% of pupils at St Oswald's CofE Primary 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 St Oswald's CofE Primary School had 22.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 39.4% 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, 15.5% of pupils at St Oswald's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.5% 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 St Oswald's CofE Primary School received £9,731 and spent £11,461 for each of its 154 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £332,000 (-£2,155 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of Elements Diocesan Learning Trust, income was £7,945 and spending £8,026 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 Kidderminster · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

St Oswald's CofE Primary School is part of Elements Diocesan Learning Trust, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• Pedmore CE Primary School Stourbridge
• St Mary's CofE Primary School Kingswinford
• Church of the Ascension CofE Primary School Kingswinford
• Netherton CofE Primary School Dudley
• Jesson's Church of England Primary School Dudley
• Christ Church CofE Primary School Bilston
• Martley CofE Primary School Worcester
• Broadheath CofE Primary School Worcester
• Crowle CofE Primary School Worcester
• Rushwick CofE Primary School Worcester

What is St Oswald's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Oswald's CofE Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was St Oswald's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Oswald's CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does St Oswald's CofE Primary School have?

St Oswald's CofE Primary School has 155 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Oswald's CofE Primary School cover?

St Oswald's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Oswald's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Oswald's CofE Primary School?

St Oswald's CofE Primary School is at Sion Avenue, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 2YL.