Croft Academy

About Croft Academy

Croft Academy is a state primary school in Walsall, West Midlands, for mixed pupils aged 2 to 11. Under headteacher Samantha Crisp, it has carved out a strong position in the local landscape. Among the 58 primary schools in the Walsall local authority, Croft Academy ranks second, placing it firmly in the top five. Its closest peers at the top of the table are St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Streetly, St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School, and Reedswood E-ACT Academy. The school is notably oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, it received 44 applications for just 29 places, with 28 of those coming as first preferences. This demand reflects its reputation, particularly given that only six of the 85 primary schools in the LA hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The nearest Outstanding school, Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy, is 2.4 kilometres away.

Academically, Croft Academy performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, compared with a Walsall LA average of 61%. The school also excels at the higher standard: 11% of pupils achieved that level across all three subjects, while 74% reached it in reading and 44% in maths. Average scaled scores were 111 in reading and 109 in maths. Nationally, Croft Academy ranks 394th out of 13,686 primary schools, placing it in the top 3% of the country. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, judged the school Good across all areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This marks a clear improvement from its previous inspection in April 2022, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall.

The school offers a broad range of facilities, including a forest school, sensory room, sports hall, art studios, and an ICT suite. Clubs such as book club, gardening, chess, and coding run alongside sports including football, cricket, swimming, and athletics. Croft Academy also provides nursery provision for children from age 2. Its SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses, collected between September 2024 and September 2025 from 11 respondents, show strong satisfaction: 100% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school, and 73% would recommend it. However, some concerns were noted around bullying and behaviour — 27% disagreed that bullying is dealt with quickly and effectively, and 18% disagreed that the school makes sure pupils are well behaved. This school will suit families who prioritise strong academic outcomes and a supportive SEND framework, but who are also prepared to engage with the school on behaviour and pastoral issues.

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