Birchills Church of England Community Academy

About Birchills Church of England Community Academy

Birchills Church of England Community Academy is a state primary school in Walsall, West Midlands, serving 442 pupils aged 3 to 11. It sits within a local authority that contains 85 primary schools, of which only six hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. Birchills itself is rated Good overall, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent inspections. In the Walsall rankings based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, Birchills places 56th out of 58 schools, placing it in the bottom half locally. The top-performing peers in the area include St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Streetly, Croft Academy, and St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the same metric. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy, roughly two kilometres away. With a Church of England character and a headteacher named G Poole, the school offers a nursery provision and is noticeably oversubscribed for Reception entry.

Academically, the school’s most recent Key Stage 2 results from the 2023/24 academic year show that 30% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. This is well below the Walsall local authority average of 61%. In individual subjects, 55% reached the expected standard in reading, 45% in writing, and 48% in maths. The proportion achieving the higher standard was low: 12% in reading, 8% in maths, and none in writing or the combined measure. Average scaled scores were 102 in reading and 100 in maths, both around the national baseline. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Ofsted’s most recent graded inspection in April 2024 rated every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — as Good, with no outstanding or inadequate judgements.

The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, it offered 46 places and received 63 total applications, a ratio of 1.37 applicants per place. All 46 first-preference applicants were offered a spot. Facilities include an ICT suite, sensory room, library, sports hall, chapel, and outdoor playground. Sports offered include dance, cricket, cross country, gymnastics and athletics, and clubs include science, drama, choir and chess. The school’s SEND provisions cover a broad range of needs, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, and physical disability. With 43.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage. This is a school that suits families who value a Church of England setting, strong SEND support, and a full range of facilities, and who are comfortable with academic outcomes that fall below the local average.

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