Five Ways Primary School, Cannock
Five Ways Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Cannock. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 16 schools in Cannock with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Five Ways Primary School in detail
Five Ways Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "At Five Ways Primary School, we value the opinions of our pupils when setting School Development Plan priorities. At the end of the summer term 2024, we carried out a 'Pupil Questionnaire'."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at Five Ways Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 65% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 77% in Staffordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (71% in reading, 66% in maths).
Getting a place at Five Ways Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 60 families put Five Ways Primary School as their first choice and 146 named it as one of their preferences, for 75 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Five Ways Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Five Ways Primary School are Gorsemoor Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 78% maths); Heath Hayes Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 71% reading, 79% maths); St Peter's CofE Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 76% reading, 75% maths); and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Five Ways Primary School.
Gorsemoor Primary SchoolHeath Hayes Primary AcademySt Peter's CofE Primary AcademySt Joseph's Catholic Primary School
What parents say
132 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Five Ways Primary School (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 56% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (56%).
Who goes there
13.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 31 pupils (5.2%) received SEN support and 10 (1.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hednesford Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
21 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Five Ways Primary School (adjacent), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Five Ways Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Five Ways Primary School issued 15 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Five Ways Primary School are Kingsmead School (0.7 miles), Norton Canes High School (1.3 miles), Cannock Chase High School (1.5 miles) and Staffordshire University Academy (1.8 miles).
Kingsmead SchoolNorton Canes High SchoolCannock Chase High SchoolStaffordshire University Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from May 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Five Ways is a warm, welcoming school that places great emphasis on reading and developing pupils' love of learning. Your child will benefit from a rich curriculum with exciting trips, outdoor activities, and hands-on experiences. The school has strong community values and teaches children to be kind, respectful and to understand the importance of citizenship.
Key Strengths
- Reading is a priority with effective daily phonics teaching and pupils achieving well
- Strong school culture with clear behaviour expectations and polite, respectful pupils
- Rich curriculum enriched through visits, theatre trips, and practical experiences like caring for ducklings
- Early years staff provide caring support with well-developed routines to help children settle quickly
- Governors effectively support and challenge leaders on improvements
Areas for Improvement
- Mathematics achievement has declined and pupils are not achieving as highly as they should
- Staff do not consistently address gaps in pupils' knowledge across subjects, affecting how well pupils remember key concepts
- Letter formation is not taught consistently, with recent improvements not yet embedded
- Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is inconsistent across the school
- Some vulnerable pupils do not receive adequate behaviour support, leading to a number of suspensions
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Football, choir, badminton, athletics clubs, residential trips for Years 5-6 with kayaking and rock climbing, guitar, keyboard and ukulele lessons, farm visits, castle visits, theatre productions, cycling lessons, reading buddy system
Five Ways Primary School is a community primary school at the heart of the local area where pupils are taught to be kind to each other. However, recent inspection evidence suggests that some aspects of the school's work, particularly in mathematics and support for vulnerable pupils, may not be as strong as previously.
At a Glance
13.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
132 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 65% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 84% to 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.5
Avg class size
28.5
Infant (KS1)
28.4
KS2
20
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Five Ways Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Five Ways Primary School.
- Progressive Sports @ Heath Hayes680m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Five Ways Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Staffordshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Five Ways Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Five Ways Primary School is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Five Ways Primary School
Will you get a place at Five Ways Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Five Ways Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Five Ways Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Five Ways Primary School.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Five Ways Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Five Ways Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Staffordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
612 pupils
622 places
10 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Cannock
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cannock
Across Staffordshire council
Places available
10,768
Applications
8,344
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
31
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
6.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
597
Total Pupils
295
Boys
302
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
33
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,562
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,071
Per pupil
£3396k
Total funding
£112k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
9.8%
Persistent absence
533
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Five Ways Primary School
What are SATs results like at Five Ways Primary School?
Of the pupils at Five Ways Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 65% did so in maths.
What is Five Ways Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Five Ways Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Five Ways Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Five Ways Primary School is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Five Ways Primary School?
Five Ways Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Five Ways Primary School?
Classes at Five Ways Primary School average 28.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Five Ways Primary School?
Five Ways Primary School has around 597 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Five Ways Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Five Ways Primary School in 2024/25. 9.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Five Ways Primary School?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Five Ways Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Five Ways Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Five Ways Primary School: Progressive Sports @ Heath Hayes (680m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Five Ways Primary School's term dates?
Five Ways Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Staffordshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Five Ways Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Five Ways Primary School?
Five Ways Primary School is at Langholm Drive, Heath Hayes, Cannock, Staffordshire, WS12 2EZ.
Sources: Staffordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)