Galton Valley Primary School, Smethwick

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~464m)Possible (~663m)Unlikely (~862m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Sarah O'Boyle
Pupils:456 / 420 capacity
LA:Sandwell
Phone:01215581690
Address:Brasshouse Lane, Smethwick, B66 1BA
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2007

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:135288
UKPRN:10076629
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Smethwick
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Galton Valley creates a warm, welcoming environment where your child will feel happy, safe and cared for. The school is ambitious for every pupil to succeed and has excellent support in place for children with additional needs. A broad, enriching curriculum includes trips, visitors and a wide range of clubs, while high expectations for behaviour mean lessons run smoothly so children can focus on learning.

Key Strengths

  • Warm, caring relationships between staff and pupils that help children feel safe and supported
  • Ambitious curriculum with enriching activities like trips, residential stays and a wide range of clubs including jewellery making, rounders, dance and cycling
  • Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs - their needs are well understood and provision is carefully matched to what they know
  • High expectations for behaviour and attendance, with a calm, purposeful learning environment
  • Strong leadership focused on what is best for pupils

Areas for Improvement

  • Variability in how phonics is taught across the school - some pupils are not making enough progress in learning to read fluently and some reading books are too difficult
  • Inconsistent checks on what young children in early years have learned, which means some misconceptions are missed and children are not always challenged appropriately

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff prioritising the wellbeing of pupils and their families.

Extracurricular Activities

Jewellery making, rounders, dance, cycling, mud kitchen, singing, dress up play

Galton Valley Primary School is a caring primary school where pupils are friendly, polite and feel happy and safe. The school has maintained good standards with an ambitious curriculum and strong support for all pupils, including those with special educational needs.

At a Glance

48.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

31 responses
Would recommend90%
Child is happy94%
Well taught87%
Good progress81%
Feels safe84%
Well behaved84%
Bullying dealt with23%
Kept informed84%
Handles concerns61%
Wider development84%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-5ppMaths-4ppWriting-8pp

Reading has declined from 84% to 79%. Maths has declined from 85% to 81%. Writing has declined from 84% to 76%.

Class Sizes

29.1

Avg class size

29.7

Infant (KS1)

30.5

KS2

15

Total classes

4 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Smethwick Rolfe Street Rail Station
478m · 8 min walk
The Hawthorns Rail Station
636m · 10 min walk
Smethwick Galton Bridge High Level Rail Station
778m · 13 min walk

Tube / Metro / Tram

The Hawthorns (West Midlands Metro) (Platform 3)
647m · 11 min walk
Kenrick Park (West Midlands Metro) (Platform 2)
1.3km · 21 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

109%

Over capacity

456 pupils

420 capacity

36 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Smethwick

Low pressure
New homes approved:441
Projected new pupils:110

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Smethwick

Admissions Demand - Sandwell

Low demand0.79x oversubscription

Places available

4,920

Applications

3,904

Got 1st preference

93.8%

Got preferred school

98.2%

Primary admissions across Sandwell (2025/26)

Inspection History(111)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.78391%

Overall absence

8.89488%

Persistent absence

371

Enrolments

Authorised3.55077%
Unauthorised1.23314%
Persistent (10%+)8.89488%
Severe (50%+)0.26954%

Absence trend

2.69785%
18/19
3.05587%
20/21
4.19866%
21/22
5.9928%
22/23
4.96826%
23/24
4.78391%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.