Sacred Heart Catholic School

Sacred Heart Catholic School is a small Roman Catholic primary in Birmingham and part of the St John Paul II Catholic Multi-Academy Company. It serves a community with well-above-average levels of disadvantage and special educational needs support. This full inspection found a school performing well overall: safeguarding requirements are met, and leaders have created a calm, inclusive and aspirational environment where pupils feel safe, attend well and behave positively. Leadership and governance, attendance and behaviour, personal development and inclusion are particular strengths. The quality of education is solid but less strong than the school's other areas. Pupils generally achieve in line with national averages, with current pupils performing better than older published data suggests, especially in mathematics. Reading and phonics are prioritised effectively, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are well supported. However, in some subjects, teaching does not consistently match tasks to the intended curriculum, limiting how deeply pupils can apply their knowledge, and writing across the curriculum is not consistently strong. Leaders know the school well and are taking appropriate action. The main priorities are to ensure teachers consistently adapt learning so pupils build secure, deep knowledge across subjects, and to give pupils sufficient opportunities to apply writing skills to produce high-quality work. Early years provision is effective, though independent play could be used more consistently to deepen learning. Overall, this is a strong school with clear leadership, effective pastoral and inclusion work, and no significant safeguarding concerns.

Strengths

• Safeguarding arrangements are fully met and there is an open culture of safeguarding.
• Attendance has improved over time, with disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND attending very well.
• Persistent absence has decreased and leaders intervene early with families.
• Behaviour and attitudes are strong, with calm, orderly classrooms and respectful relationships.
• Bullying and discriminatory behaviour are rare and dealt with quickly and effectively.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with clear direction and rigorous statutory duties.
• Staff morale is high, and leaders manage workload and wellbeing well.
• The curriculum is thoughtfully designed and supported by high-quality professional development.
• Personal development is a strength, with an ambitious programme and wide range of experiences.
• Pupils develop a secure understanding of fundamental British values and equality.
• Inclusion is effective, with early identification of needs and timely support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Early years provision is calm, welcoming and well sequenced, with a strong emphasis on communication and language.
• Reading and phonics are prioritised, and pupils who fall behind receive targeted support.
• Pupils are proud of their school and feel safe, valued and part of a close-knit community.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is expected standard rather than strong, and published mathematics outcomes have been below national averages in recent years.
• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently plan learning that is closely matched to intended curriculum outcomes.
• Some pupils lack opportunities to apply their knowledge and tackle complex tasks across the curriculum.
• Resource choices in some lessons limit how much pupils write, so writing skills are not applied as deeply as they could be.
• Opportunities during independent play in early years could be used more consistently to deepen learning.
• The disadvantaged pupils' gap in mathematics remains notable in published data.

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 Sacred Heart Catholic School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.1% 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, 7.1% of pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic 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 Sacred Heart Catholic School had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.4% 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, 21.4% of pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.2% 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 Sacred Heart Catholic School received £7,660 and spent £7,887 for each of its 184 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £121,000 (-£656 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of St. John Paul Ii Multi Academy Company, income was £7,187 and spending £7,072 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 Birmingham · Birmingham local authority: places and applications

Sacred Heart Catholic School is part of St. John Paul Ii Multi Academy Company, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• SS Mary & John Catholic Primary School Birmingham
• Blessed Dominic Barberi Catholic Primary School Birmingham
• Maryvale Catholic Primary School Birmingham
• Abbey Catholic Primary School Birmingham
• St Peter and St Paul RC Junior and Infant School Birmingham
• St Edmund Campion Catholic School Birmingham
• St Nicholas Catholic Primary School Sutton Coldfield
• Bishop Walsh Catholic School Sutton Coldfield
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Sutton Coldfield
• Holy Cross Catholic Primary School Sutton Coldfield

What is Sacred Heart Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sacred Heart Catholic School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Sacred Heart Catholic School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sacred Heart Catholic School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Sacred Heart Catholic School have?

Sacred Heart Catholic School has 173 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sacred Heart Catholic School cover?

Sacred Heart Catholic School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Sacred Heart Catholic School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sacred Heart Catholic School?

Sacred Heart Catholic School is at Earlsbury Gardens, Birchfield, Birmingham, West Midlands, B20 3AE.