St John Bosco Catholic Primary School

About St John Bosco Catholic Primary School

St John Bosco Catholic Primary School is the fourth-ranked primary in Sandwell out of 92 schools of the same type in the local authority, placing it firmly among the strongest options in the area. It sits just behind Grove Vale Primary School, Burnt Tree Primary School, and St Pauls Church of England Academy, which occupy the top three spots. The school is one of only ten primaries in Sandwell rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and its most recent graded inspection in June 2025 confirmed that every graded area — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — remains Outstanding. That consistency matters in a local authority where the average KS2 expected standard in reading, writing and maths sits at 60 per cent. St John Bosco comfortably exceeds that, and its strong local reputation is reflected in its admission figures: for 30 places in the 2025/26 intake, the school received 80 applications, with 39 families listing it as their first preference.

Academically, the school delivers well above the Sandwell average. In the 2023/24 KS2 assessments, 81 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with the local authority average of 60 per cent. The school also performs strongly at the higher standard, with 19 per cent of pupils achieving that level across all three subjects. In maths, 97 per cent of pupils met the expected standard and 44 per cent reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 108. Reading results are similarly strong: 94 per cent at expected and 41 per cent at the higher standard, also with an average score of 108. Writing is the only area where the expected rate drops to 81 per cent, but that still sits well above the LA average. Nationally, the school ranks in the top nine per cent of all primaries for its combined KS2 results, and in the West Midlands it sits in the top nine per cent of schools.

The school is oversubscribed, with an oversubscription ratio of 2.67, so applying as a first preference is important. It offers a nursery provision for children from age three, and its facilities include a library, ICT suite, sports hall, dining hall, chapel and a forest school. Sports provision covers cricket, football, swimming, tennis and gymnastics, and there are clubs for gardening, book club and chess. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health support. Parent View responses from 23 families between September 2024 and September 2025 were overwhelmingly positive: 96 per cent would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed that children are happy, feel safe, and that the school has high expectations. This is a school that suits families who value strong academic outcomes within a faith-based setting, and who are prepared to compete for a place in a popular local primary.

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