Kates Hill Primary School, Dudley

Ofsted's report card from its 14 July 2026 inspection grades Kates Hill Primary School on 7 areas: 5 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils typically make secure progress across the curriculum and in a range of subjects."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders take a relentless approach to improving attendance."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have established systems to identify pupils' needs at an early stage and provide timely intervention."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, governors and the trust have a secure understanding of the school's context."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils experience a broad and coherent personal development programme."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development."

Early years - Needs attention. "The early years curriculum is well sequenced."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that assessment strategies are used consistently well to make appropriate changes to teaching to address any gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly"; "Leaders should make sure that the teaching of spelling and handwriting is systematically sequenced, enabling pupils to build on prior learning and securely develop key knowledge and skills over time"; "Leaders should continue to work closely with families to continue to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence for all pupils and groups"; "Leaders should strengthen opportunities to engage children in the early years in high-quality interactions during independent learning times and ensure consistent delivery of the curriculum across the setting"; "Leaders should continue to increase engagement with parents and carers".

From the headteacher's welcome: "We strive to make learning engaging, and we endeavour to provide as many ‘real-life’ learning experiences as possible - making learning exciting, interesting and purposeful. Reading is the foundation of our curriculum, and we positively promote reading for pleasure as an essential, life-enhancing skill, asking our families to support us with this at home."

Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 10am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at Kates Hill Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 75% in Dudley and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 58% in reading and 60% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 45 families put Kates Hill Primary School as their first choice and 83 named it as one of their preferences, for 50 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Kates Hill Primary School are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 100% reading, 93% maths); Beechwood Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 67% reading, 63% maths); Tividale Hall Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 74% maths); and Sledmere Primary School (0.6 miles, 71% reading, 72% maths).

Kates Hill Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Kates Hill Primary School is one of 8 schools run by Dudley Academies Trust, an academy trust.

40.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 36.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (40%), White British (20%) and Mixed (16%).

Kates Hill Primary School had 26 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Flood Street (West Midlands Metro), about 680 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Owen Street (after), 40 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Kates Hill Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 484 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dudley (212), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Kates Hill Primary School issued 29 suspensions, 6.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The secondary schools closest to Kates Hill Primary School are St James Academy (0.9 miles), The Link Academy (1.2 miles) and Pegasus Academy (1.4 miles).