St Benedict's Primary School

About St Benedict's Primary School

St Benedict’s Primary School in Birmingham posts academic results that sit noticeably below the local authority average for primary schools. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 42% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Birmingham average of 63%. That gap of 21 percentage points places the school in the bottom half of primaries across the city, ranked 239th out of 254. The school’s ranking score of 42 puts it in the bottom 50% nationally as well. Individual subject scores tell a similar story: 60% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 52% in maths, and 69% in writing. At the higher standard, the figures are very low — 15% in reading, 8% in maths, and none at all in writing or the combined measure. These are not the numbers that will jump out for families prioritising top-tier academic outcomes, but they do provide a clear, honest baseline for what the school is working with.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2023, rated it Good across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is consistent with its previous Good rating from 2013, so there is stability in leadership under headteacher Emma Nott. The average reading score was 102 and the average maths score was 100, both around the national average of 100, which suggests that while the proportion reaching the expected standard is low, those who do get there are performing at a typical level. The school has a very high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 58.5%, well above the national average, which provides important context for the results. Ofsted noted that behaviour and attitudes are Good, and the early years provision is also rated Good, so the foundations are solid even if the headline figures lag behind the LA.

St Benedict’s is a state primary for mixed genders aged 4 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form. It is significantly oversubscribed: for 17 places in the 2025/26 intake, there were 83 applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 4.88. Fifteen of those were first-preference applications, and 15 offers were made, so almost all first-preference families secured a place. The school operates at 349 pupils against a capacity of 324, so it is over its official capacity. Facilities include an ICT suite, a forest school, a sports hall, a gymnasium, and a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, gymnastics, athletics, rounders, cricket, swimming, and dance, and there are clubs for film, art, and books. The SEND provision is extensive, covering moderate to profound learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autism, visual impairment, physical disability, and social, emotional and mental health support, plus a resourced provision. This is a school that serves a high-needs community and is clearly in demand locally, despite its modest academic profile.

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