St Matthew's CofE Primary School

About St Matthew's CofE Primary School

St Matthew's CofE Primary School sits within the Sandwell local authority, where it ranks 7th out of 83 primary schools, placing it comfortably in the top 25% of its peers. The three schools immediately above it in the local rankings are Grove Vale Primary School, Burnt Tree Primary School, and St Pauls Church of England Academy, all of which score marginally higher on the same KS2 metric. For families considering alternatives, the nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Shireland Hall Primary Academy, just 0.7 kilometres away. St Matthew's itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in 2012, and an ungraded inspection in 2021 confirmed the school remains Good. This is a notable improvement from its previous inspection in 2009, when it was judged to require improvement. With 459 pupils on a capacity of 464, the school is nearly full, and its Church of England character gives it a distinctive identity within the local primary landscape.

Academically, St Matthew's performs well above the Sandwell average. In the 2023/24 KS2 assessments, 78% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 60%. The school's score of 78 on this metric places it 7th in Sandwell and in the top 14% nationally. Subject-level results are strong: 86% met expectations in maths, 83% in reading, and 88% in writing. At the higher standard, 31% achieved in maths, 36% in reading, and 17% in writing, with 10% reaching the higher threshold across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 107 in both reading and maths. 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. The school does not have a sixth form, and its nursery provision means children can join from age three.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including a dining hall, sports hall, forest school, ICT suite, art studios, playing fields, music rooms, and a chapel. Sports provision covers dance, gymnastics, netball, athletics, cricket, rounders, and swimming, while extracurricular clubs include book club, chess, art club, choir, and gardening. SEND support is available for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and visual impairment. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 63 applications were received for 48 places, with 43 first-preference offers made. This level of demand suggests it is a popular choice among local families, particularly those seeking a Church of England primary with strong academic outcomes and a wide range of enrichment opportunities.

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