Holyhead Primary Academy

Holyhead Primary Academy is a school where pupils feel safe, valued and proud, with calm and purposeful behaviour, strong relationships and an inclusive culture. Most pupils achieve in line with national averages, disadvantaged pupils often outperform disadvantaged pupils nationally, attendance is improving, and safeguarding standards are met. Early years, inclusion, leadership and personal development are secure, and the school is well supported by its trust and governors. However, curriculum implementation is not yet consistently good across all subjects and year groups, which is the main area needing attention. A significant minority of pupils have gaps in foundational knowledge such as handwriting and spelling, assessment is not used consistently to build on prior learning, and some early years interactions do not extend children's language as well as they could. Leaders have appropriate plans and are taking action, but these have not yet had the intended impact. The school is part of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, has an on-site nursery and a specially resourced SEND provision, and serves a community with high free school meal eligibility and deprivation.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, valued and proud, with a strong sense of belonging and positive relationships.
• Behaviour is calm and purposeful, with clear routines and respectful relationships.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages and persistent absence is reducing.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND receive high-quality support and often achieve well.
• Leaders place inclusion at the centre of their work and identify pupils' needs promptly.
• The specially resourced provision supports pupils with complex needs effectively.
• Leadership, governance and trust oversight are collaborative, effective and well aligned.
• Staff feel well supported by leaders and value high-quality professional development.
• Personal development is coherent and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Early years provides a secure start, with strong phonics teaching and positive parent relationships.
• Pupils access a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, visits and leadership roles.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and know staff will act promptly.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent across some subjects and year groups.
• A significant minority of pupils have gaps in essential basic knowledge such as handwriting and spelling.
• Assessment is not used consistently to identify next steps across all subjects.
• Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, engage in learning that does not build precisely on what they already know.
• Leaders' actions to strengthen assessment, handwriting and spelling are yet to have the intended impact.
• Teaching does not consistently address errors in pupils' basic knowledge and skills, including reading, handwriting and spelling.
• In early years, some staff interactions are not as meaningful as they could be, limiting extension of language and vocabulary.
• Further improvement is needed to increase the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard, particularly in reading.

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 Holyhead Primary Academy attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.5% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Holyhead Primary Academy 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 Holyhead Primary Academy had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 16.1% of pupils at Holyhead Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% 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 Holyhead Primary Academy received £8,200 and spent £8,086 for each of its 237 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £105,000 (£444 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, income was £8,510 and spending £8,348 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 Wednesbury · Sandwell local authority: places and applications

Holyhead Primary Academy is part of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Tameside Primary Academy Wednesbury
• Wallbrook Primary Academy Bilston
• Shireland Biomedical Utc West Bromwich
• Shireland CBSO Academy West Bromwich
• West Bromwich Collegiate Academy West Bromwich
• Wednesfield Technology Primary Wolverhampton
• Shireland Collegiate Academy Smethwick
• Shireland Technology Primary Smethwick
• Lightwoods Primary Academy Oldbury, Sandwell
• Newfield Park Primary Academy Halesowen

What is Holyhead Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holyhead Primary Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Holyhead Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Holyhead Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Holyhead Primary Academy have?

Holyhead Primary Academy has 261 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holyhead Primary Academy cover?

Holyhead Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Holyhead Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holyhead Primary Academy?

Holyhead Primary Academy is at Holyhead Road, Wednesbury, West Midlands, WS10 7PZ.