School Chooser

Old Church Church of England C Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyChurch of England431 pupilsNurseryWednesburyWalsall
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2024
Reached the expected level at 1162%England 63%
Attendance94.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families46%Far more than most schools
Places15 spare431 pupils, 446 places
Pupils on roll431Census January 2026

Old Church Church of England C Primary School is a converter academy in Wednesbury for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 431 pupils and room for 446. About 46 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

School Street, Off Alma Street, Darlaston, Wednesbury, WS10 8DL0121 568 6329old-church.walsall.sch.ukMrs Justine Read headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 21 May 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
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

58 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Old Church Church of England C Primary School, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1162%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level2%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 68%68%20172018: 62%62%20182019: 59%59%20192023: 37%37%20232024: 44%44%20242025: 62%62%2025
Since 2017: -6%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†WalsallEngland
Pupils tested586160444544
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths62%44%37%59%62%68%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths2%0%2%5%7%0%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0103.0100.0103.0105.0103.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0101.0100.0105.0103.0103.0104.3104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0102.0100.0103.0105.0104.0105.7105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard71%70%52%68%80%86%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard72%57%48%82%71%77%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)72%72%67%80%76%77%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.0-1.9+0.9+1.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.6+0.8-1.0+1.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged55%35%24%48%57%44%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged69%53%54%70%67%82%

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.

† These results are for Old Church Church of England C Primary School, the school this one replaced in December 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. 3 of the 4 gaps are 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 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
55%69%
Gap 14 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
59%66%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
59%62%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%2%
Gap 2 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

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. Every child who applied got a place (48 offers for 60 places). 42 families put it down as their first choice and 42 of them got in (100%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary60427048100%all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll431Census January 2026
Places44697% full
Pupils from low-income families44%46% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English23%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support20%88 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%21 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.915 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils27%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)46%£289,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls207 / 224
White British pupils54%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 22.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (41), language and communications needs (34), emotional and mental health (27), Severe learning difficulty (4), Hearing impairment (1), Other difficulty or disability (1).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school15.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.7%5.6%6.0%6.3%3.7%4.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%3.2%3.2%3.9%2.2%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%2.4%2.8%2.4%1.5%1.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence15.7%15.2%12.8%16.8%7.7%6.8%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for Old Church Church of England C Primary School, the school this one replaced in December 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Money

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£7,599England £7,738. Total £3.2m
Income per pupil£7,626England £7,697. Total £3.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,050England £3,480
Money in reserve12%A healthy amount put by: £375k, £901 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£11kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,599spent 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 m74412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate96 per 1,000 people5% higher than the England average
Typical house price£221,288Walsall

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
Woods Bank AcademyAcademy400 m303Good 202457Compare
Pinfold Street Primary SchoolCouncil410 m410Good 202228Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, DarlastonRoman Catholic480 m245Outstanding 202386Compare
Kings Hill Primary SchoolCouncil930 m459Report card 202669Compare
Salisbury Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles317Good 202446Compare
Old Park Primary SchoolFoundation0.8 miles471Outstanding 202486Compare
Moorcroft Wood AcademyAcademy1.0 miles260Good 2024Compare
Holyhead Primary AcademyAcademy1.0 miles261Report card 202629Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Old Church Church of England C Primary School a good school?

Old Church Church of England C Primary School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in May 2024.

What is Old Church Church of England C Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Old Church Church of England C Primary School good at its last full inspection on 21 May 2024.

How good are Old Church Church of England C Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 62% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Old Church Church of England C Primary School have?

431 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 446 places, so it is 97% full.

What is attendance like at Old Church Church of England C Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 16% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Old Church Church of England C Primary School?

The average class had 26.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 27% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
School Street, Off Alma Street, Darlaston, Wednesbury, WS10 8DL
Telephone
0121 568 6329
Website
www.old-church.walsall.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Justine Read
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Lichfield
Multi-academy trust
St Bartholomew's CE Multi Academy Trust (16 schools)
Local authority
Walsall
Ward
Darlaston South
Constituency
Wolverhampton South East
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2025 (academy converter)
URN
152027 · LAESTAB 3353100 · UKPRN 10098512
Formerly
Old Church Church of England C Primary School

Where these figures come from