Crabbs Cross Academy

About Crabbs Cross Academy

Crabbs Cross Academy is a state primary school in Redditch, within the Worcestershire local authority, and it caters for children aged 5 to 9. It is one of 180 primary schools across the LA, and its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024 placed it in the Requires Improvement category, a drop from its previous Good rating in 2015. Among its local peers, the highest-ranked schools in the area include Inkberrow Primary School, Hanley Swan St Gabriel's with St Mary's CofE Primary School, and Malvern Wyche CofE Primary School, all of which hold stronger inspection records. Crabbs Cross has a mixed gender intake and is non-religious, with a headteacher Sallyanne Dunstan leading a school of 200 pupils against a capacity of 225. The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 52 applications for 17 places, with 16 of those being first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.06.

Academically, the school's Ofsted report from September 2024 highlights several areas needing improvement. The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were all graded as Requires improvement, while early years provision and personal development were rated Good. The previous inspection in 2015 had rated overall effectiveness as Good, so the recent downgrade is significant. The school does not have published KS2 SATs results in this data, so it is not possible to compare directly with the Worcestershire LA average of 61% achieving the expected standard. However, the parent view survey, completed by 62 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025, shows that 84% would recommend the school. Responses were mixed: 87% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, and 90% felt their child is safe, but only 58% agreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and just 24% felt SEND children receive the support they need.

The school offers a range of facilities including a dining hall, sports hall, library, playing fields, ICT suite, and a chapel. Sports provision covers dance, football, cricket, swimming, athletics, tennis, and netball, while clubs include science club, choir, drama, and film club. For SEND, the school supports pupils with moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and multi-sensory impairment. However, the parent view data indicates significant dissatisfaction with SEND support, with 71% disagreeing that the school gives SEND children the support they need. The school does not have a nursery or sixth form. Given its oversubscription and recent Ofsted rating, this school may suit families who value its strong early years provision and personal development focus, but who are prepared to engage closely with leadership on behaviour and academic standards.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Crabbs Cross Academy

Helpful Guides for Parents