School Chooser

Dawley Brook Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil231 pupilsNurseryKingswinfordDudley
School Chooser Score
29
Below
similar schools
Likely range 14 to 54, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 16% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, March 2024
Reached the expected level at 1148%England 63%
Attendance94.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families11%Far fewer than most schools
Places5 spare231 pupils, 236 places
Pupils per teacher22.8School workforce census

Dawley Brook Primary School is a council school in Kingswinford for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 231 pupils and room for 236. About 11 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 29 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 16% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Dubarry Avenue, Valley Fields, Kingswinford, DY6 9BP01384 818770dawley.dudley.sch.ukMr Matthew Walters headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

29 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1148%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level10%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 68%68%20172018: 64%64%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 70%70%20232024: 60%60%20242025: 48%48%2025
Since 2017: -20%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017DudleyEngland
Pupils tested293030232828
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths48%60%70%70%64%68%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths10%10%13%26%14%14%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0103.0109.0109.0105.0104.0105.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0104.0107.0107.0105.0105.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0105.0109.0109.0107.0104.0105.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard69%73%90%78%68%82%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard59%73%83%70%71%86%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)69%63%73%74%71%71%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.6+0.0-3.6-2.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.3-2.1-3.3-1.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged71%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged57%68%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
47%50%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full200 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
95% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 1.5 miles away in 2026, 4.1 miles away in 2025. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 1.5 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3026123321.5 milesLA
2025 Primary302795304.1 milesLA
2024 Primary30259630all offeredLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 1.5 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 1.5 miles of the school£270,000half sold for £230k to £330k
Homes sold969December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+14%a typical home in the district sells for £237,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll231Census January 2026
Places23698% full
Pupils from low-income families10%11% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English7%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%37 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%21 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.810 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils10%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)12%£38,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls136 / 95
White British pupils78%

Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 12 pupils, for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, visual impairment.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Dudley with autism provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 21.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (23), emotional and mental health (15), Moderate learning difficulty (9), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), Severe learning difficulty (2), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll231223226210219226
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals10%9%9%6%10%9%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language7%8%8%5%4%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%13%14%12%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans9%5%2%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.2%5.5%6.1%7.1%3.0%3.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%3.9%4.2%5.4%2.3%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.6%1.9%1.7%0.7%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.4%17.8%20.2%21.1%5.1%6.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.50.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers10.0full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher22.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,019
Teachers who left in the year14%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher0.52024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,781England £7,738. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£6,962England £7,697. Total £1.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,503England £3,480
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £57k, £262 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£39kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,781spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m8112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate63 per 1,000 people31% lower than the England average
Typical house price£236,000Dudley

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy440 m170Report card 20263Compare
Church of the Ascension CofE Primary SchoolAcademy460 m303Report card 202660Compare
Blanford Mere Primary SchoolCouncil980 m311Good 202377Compare
Maidensbridge Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles236Good 202283Compare
Glynne Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles474Good 202380Compare
Bromley Hills Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles282Not inspected27Compare
Fairhaven Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles251Requires improvement 202110Compare
Crestwood Park Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles210Good 202236Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Dawley Brook Primary School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats16%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 29 is 25 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 54 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 29 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 29% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 14 to 54. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.02
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 29 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.04
DfE progress measure; 29 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.22
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
0.00
2024/25; 181 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.07
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 29 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Dawley Brook Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Dawley Brook Primary School scores 29 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 16% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 14 to 54, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Dawley Brook Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Dawley Brook Primary School good at its last full inspection on 5 March 2024.

How good are Dawley Brook Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 48% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 10% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Dawley Brook Primary School have?

231 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 236 places, so it is 98% full.

Is Dawley Brook Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 1.5 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Dawley Brook Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Dawley Brook Primary School?

The average class had 22.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 10% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Dawley Brook Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has sen unit for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Dubarry Avenue, Valley Fields, Kingswinford, DY6 9BP
Telephone
01384 818770
Website
www.dawley.dudley.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Matthew Walters
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Dudley
Ward
Kingswinford North & Wall Heath
Constituency
Kingswinford and South Staffordshire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
103781 · LAESTAB 3322043 · UKPRN 10073204

Where these figures come from