School Chooser

The Westminster School

Special · ages 7-19MixedCouncil306 pupilsSixth formRowley RegisSandwell
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, July 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance89.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families62%Far more than most schools
Pupils per teacher6.8School workforce census
Average A level gradeNE2015/16

The Westminster School is a council special school in Rowley Regis for boys and girls aged 7 to 19. It has 306 pupils. About 62 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.

Hawes Lane, Rowley Regis, B65 9AL0121 561 6884thewestminsterschool.co.ukMr Oliver Flowers headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 2 July 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”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
3 March 2023UngradedSchool remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

26 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.61In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2018/19, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018SandwellEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11263129202629
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 80.50.142.746.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.61-1.55
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%35%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%57%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.010.003.684.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%30%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged0.30.1
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged0.60.2
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers0.50.1

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

6 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SandwellEngland
Pupils tested697596
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0105.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score88.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0106.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%11%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-13.0-7.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-11.0-9.0

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.

A level and sixth-form results, 2016

33 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeNE
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure2016
Students33
Average A level gradeNE

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Sandwell council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll306Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families61%62% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English10%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%306 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)57%£133,550 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls199 / 107
White British pupils59%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties.

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 Sandwell with moderate learning difficulties provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (84), Moderate learning difficulty (73), Autistic spectrum disorder (59), Other difficulty or disability (21), emotional and mental health (21), Physical disability (20).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll306272250231238222
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals61%56%53%50%46%43%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language10%10%11%10%11%16%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support1%0%0%0%1%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans99%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance89.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school31.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils6.62024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission4.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence10.4%9.1%8.9%10.4%5.1%6.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.9%6.1%6.3%7.7%3.7%5.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence4.5%3.0%2.7%2.7%1.4%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence31.9%27.9%34.3%29.9%12.0%17.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate6.67.26.98.45.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions11000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 29 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%100%
Education100%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff

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

Teachers45.2full-time equivalent, 49 people
Pupils per teacher6.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers86%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants59.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,791
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher9.42024/25

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m29112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate99 per 1,000 people8% higher than the England average
Typical house price£215,000Sandwell

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

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Michael's Church of England High SchoolChurch of England170 m1,213Good 202360Compare
Brickhouse Primary SchoolFoundation550 m205Good 202317Compare
Springfield Primary SchoolFoundation760 m439Good 202457Compare
Rowley Hall Primary SchoolAcademy870 m585Requires improvement 20240Compare
Blackheath Primary SchoolCouncil1000 m456Report card 202635Compare
Ormiston Forge AcademyAcademy0.8 miles1,643Not inspected21Compare
The Primrose CentrePupil referral unit0.8 miles12Good 2022Compare
St James CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.9 miles449Report card 202643Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The Westminster School a good school?

The Westminster School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in July 2024.

What is The Westminster School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Westminster School good at its last full inspection on 2 July 2024.

How good are The Westminster School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does The Westminster School have?

306 pupils aged 7 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026.

What is attendance like at The Westminster School?

Pupils were in school 89.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 32% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does The Westminster School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for moderate learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does The Westminster School have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2016 was NE.

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

Contact and details

Address
Hawes Lane, Rowley Regis, B65 9AL
Telephone
0121 561 6884
Website
www.thewestminsterschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Oliver Flowers
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 7-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Sandwell
Ward
Rowley
Constituency
West Bromwich
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2000
URN
132233 · LAESTAB 3337019 · UKPRN 10015960

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from