Birches First School

Birches First School is exhibiting good overall performance across various domains including education quality, behaviour, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The headteacher, Sabrina Varricchione, along with an informed leadership team, fosters a positive school culture characterized by high academic standards and engaging lessons. Students enjoy school and feel supported, with a strong emphasis on learning, self-care, and community involvement. Furthermore, the school is part of the Codsall Multi-Academy Trust, and this collaborative structure aids in maintaining a well-rounded educational experience for its students.

Strengths

• High academic standards across the curriculum.
• Strong phonics and mathematics instruction.
• Supportive partnership with parents and carers.
• Positive behaviour and kindness among pupils.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with a healthy reading culture.
• Good support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment practices are still developing in some foundation subjects.
• Inconsistent presentation of written work impacting progress.

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 Birches First School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Birches First 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 Birches First School had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.2% 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, 17.1% of pupils at Birches First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Birches First School received £6,954 and spent £6,551 for each of its 180 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £215,000 (£1,200 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Codsall Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,619 and spending £6,510 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 Wolverhampton · Wolverhampton local authority: places and applications

Birches First School is part of Codsall Multi Academy Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Codsall Middle School Wolverhampton
• St Nicholas Church of England First School Wolverhampton

What is Birches First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birches First School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Birches First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Birches First School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Birches First School have?

Birches First School has 175 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birches First School cover?

Birches First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Birches First School?

Birches First School is at Birches Avenue, Codsall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV8 2JG.