Schools
Walsall outperforms national average in Ofsted judgments for ‘Good’ or better ratings
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A higher proportion of schools in Walsall have been graded to be ‘Good’ or better by Ofsted than the national average.
New data shows that Walsall outperformed national figures for the first time in September 2024.
91% of Walsall schools are now graded to be ‘Good’ or better, compared to 90.4% which is the national average for the headline overall judgement.
The Department for Education (DfE) Ofsted statistical website indicates a steady increase in the borough’s school outcomes over the past few years, and Walsall’s improvements are highlighted across a number of Ofsted sub-criteria, such as the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes and personal development.
Table 1 – Percentage of Overall Effectiveness and Ofsted sub-categories of ‘Good’ or better judgments for all schools
| Ofsted Criteria | Walsall % | National % |
| Overall effectiveness | 91 | 90.4 |
| Quality of education | 84.6 | 81.5 |
| Behaviour and attitudes | 95.4 | 90.8 |
| Personal development | 95.4 | 93.3 |
| Effectiveness of leadership and Management | 95 | 92.1 |
| Early years provision | 95.5 | 92.8 |
| Sixth form provision | 94.4 | 93.4 |
Recent Ofsted inspections reflect the improvement in the quality of education young people receive in Walsall.
St Joseph’s Catholic primary school and Beacon Primary school were judged to be ‘Outstanding’ in all areas.
Both inspection reports commented on the fantastic learning environment for children.
It was felt pupils at Beacon Primary School are ‘excited and enthusiastic’, very proud, and ‘openly say they love their school’. The school also won a national award earlier this year for its work in delivering exceptional education.
At St. Josephs, inspectors shared there is a ‘learning buzz’, with pupils showing high levels of motivation and commitment to education.
Walsall is one of 24 priority education investment areas across the country. Schools in Walsall have engaged with various programmes of support to raise attainment and improve the life chances of young people within the borough.
“ How great is it see very clearly that schools are improving in Walsall.
This is not something that has magically happened overnight, and the council has worked extremely hard with schools over a number of years to see the steady progress shown.
Sometimes, when looking at numerical data, we can forget too easily that there are real people behind the numbers. In reality, an extra percentage point to data like this makes huge, tangible differences to the education our children and young people are receiving, and this is nothing but positive.
We want our children and young people to enjoy learning and get the best possible outcomes so they can go onto to achieve great things.
Whilst this data presents a really positive picture, the work doesn’t stop here.
Thank you to all of our schools who are working tirelessly to deliver the best for Walsall’s children and young people. “
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