Birchills Church of England Community Academy

  • Primary
  • Academy
  • Ages 3 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Farringdon Street, Walsall, WS2 8NFOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Birchills Church of England Community Academy is a primary school in Walsall for ages 3 to 11. It is one of the 133 schools in Walsall. It ranks 47th of 50 primary schools in Walsall. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 16 April 2024, report published 14 May 2024

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 April 2024

Warm relationships between staff and pupils are at the centre of this caring school. Strong links between the local community and school help promote the sense of tolerance and respect for all. The school recognises that outcomes have been historically low. However, the curriculum is being successfully redesigned so that all pupils gain the necessary knowledge to build upon their prior learning. There are high expectations for all, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school is a calm and orderly place to learn and play. Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors. Pupils are safe and know and understand the different forms of bullying. When this occurs, they know who to report issues to and are confident that trusted adults will help to resolve it. Pupils are enthusiastic about the roles they can take on in school. This includes playground leaders, worship leaders and classroom managers. They value the opportunities available to them, including clubs such as football, archery and cricket and say that teachers respond to their requests to run extra clubs and activities they enjoy.

What the school should improve

  • The curriculum is still being developed and is not yet fully embedded in a few subjects. This means that pupils do not build their knowledge as effectively as they do in other subjects. The school should focus on embedding its agreed curriculum in these subjects so that pupils can learn equally well across all subjects.
  • In a small number of subjects, changes to learning sequences are not being delivered consistently well by all staff. Where this is the case, pupils do not develop a deep enough understanding of the intended learning. The school should ensure that all staff are sufficiently well trained to support all pupils to know and remember more in all subjects.
  • The use of assessment is not implemented securely in a minority of subjects. This means that teachers are unsure of any gaps in pupils' understanding. The school should ensure that agreed assessment procedures are in place to support the identification of what pupils understand to inform what they need to learn next.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

60 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths37%

37%, 25 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths0%

0%, 8 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score102

102, 4 below the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score100

100, 5 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score101

101, 4 below the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

442 pupils on roll, with places for 420

Eligible for free school meals38.9%

38.9%, 12.4 percentage points above the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language55.4%

55.4%, 33.8 percentage points above the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support17.2%

17.2%, 2.4 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan2.3%

2.3%, 3.7 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near Birchills Church of England Community Academy

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Walsall0.2 milesReport card: Needs attention to expected standard66% met the expected standard
Croft Academy0.3 milesOfsted judgements: Good60% met the expected standard
Reedswood E-ACT Academy0.5 milesReport card: Strong standard to exceptional83% met the expected standard
Butts Primary School0.7 milesOfsted: Good68% met the expected standard
North Walsall Primary Academy0.7 milesOfsted: Good60% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Academy sponsor led
Sector
Academy
Trust
ST CHAD'S ACADEMIES TRUST
Age range
3 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Nursery classes
Yes
Headteacher
Miss G Poole
Address
Farringdon Street, Walsall, WS2 8NF
Local authority
Walsall
URN
139435

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.