SCHOOL PROFILE

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Darlaston

Primary Voluntary aided school URN 104235
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 210 Published school capacity
Capacity used 116.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

25 April 2023
Latest published outcome Outstanding
OEIF
Quality of education Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Outstanding
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Voluntary aided school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Walsall
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 245 221 full-time · 24 part-time
Female pupils 129 52.7% of pupils
Male pupils 116 47.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

35.9%
11.1 pts above England
School 35.9%
Walsall 36.6%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

24.1%
3.8 pts above England
School 24.1%
Walsall 24.3%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Walsall 0.4%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
42.4%
104
African
13.9%
34
Indian
13.9%
34
White and Black Caribbean
6.1%
15
Any other White background
5.7%
14
Any other Mixed background
2.9%
7
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 30.2% 74 of 245 pupils
9.4 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 30.2%
Walsall 20.5%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 28.6% 70 pupils
England 14.8% 13.8 pts above
EHC plans 1.6% 4 pupils
England 6.0% 4.4 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 44
Social, emotional & mental health 15
Moderate learning difficulty 13
Other difficulty or disability 1
Physical disability 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

74.0% 13.6 pts above England
School 74.0%
Walsall 58.2%
West Midlands 60.0%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

94.0%

20.2 pts above England

School 94.0%
Walsall 72.1%
West Midlands 73.0%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

81.0%

10.7 pts above England

School 81.0%
Walsall 67.8%
West Midlands 69.9%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

84.0%

12.0 pts above England

School 84.0%
Walsall 70.0%
West Midlands 71.4%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

4.64%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.57 pts lower than England
School 4.64%
Walsall 6.88%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

10.47%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

5.34 pts lower than England
School 10.47%
Walsall 19.49%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.05%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.76 pts lower than England
School 1.05%
Walsall 1.95%
West Midlands 1.82%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

116.7% 28.5 pts above England
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Darlaston
116.7%
Walsall
97.4%
West Midlands
91.3%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information