Leighswood School, Walsall
Leighswood School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Walsall. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 31st-highest of the 51 schools in Walsall with published results, and 9,595th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Walsall (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Leighswood School in detail
Leighswood School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Leighswood School - a truly special place where every child is known, valued and nurtured. We are a warm and welcoming two-form entry primary school, proudly supporting children from the age of 2 through to 11. With over 450 pupils, we offer a strong and caring community where children grow, learn and thrive every step of the way."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care, from £5 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Leighswood School reached the expected standard in reading and 72% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 74% in Walsall and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 79% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Leighswood School
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put Leighswood School as their first choice and 71 named it as one of their preferences, for 47 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Leighswood School are Cooper and Jordan Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 71% maths); St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 93% reading, 97% maths); Castlefort Academy (1 mile); and St John's Church of England Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 72% reading, 79% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Leighswood School.
Cooper and Jordan Church of England Primary SchoolSt Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary SchoolCastlefort AcademySt John's Church of England Primary School
What parents say
70 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Leighswood School (as of September 2025): 71% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 35% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (35%).
Who goes there
3.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Mixed (12%).
Leighswood School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 16 places, 0 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Blake Street Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wellfield Road (before), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 79 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Walsall (297).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Leighswood School issued 10 suspensions, 2.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Leighswood School are St Francis of Assisi Catholic College (1 mile), Aldridge School - A Science College (1 mile), Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy (1.6 miles) and Shire Oak Academy (1.6 miles).
St Francis of Assisi Catholic CollegeAldridge School - A Science CollegeOrmiston Shelfield Community AcademyShire Oak 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Leighswood School prioritizes reading from nursery through reception, ensuring pupils get off to a strong start with excellent phonics teaching. Your child will be in a caring, respectful school community where kindness is valued, behavior is excellent, and there is always an adult to talk to if they have worries. The school has high expectations for all pupils and creates opportunities for outdoor learning through activities like Viking jewellery-making and den building.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with effective phonics teaching and quick identification of pupils who need extra support
- Clear curriculum sequences that help pupils build knowledge and skills over time
- Polite and considerate pupils with positive attitudes to learning
- Safe, caring school environment where pupils feel well supported
- Effective safeguarding arrangements that prioritize pupil welfare
Areas for Improvement
- New teaching strategies for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils are not yet being used consistently across all classes
- Limited extra-curricular activities and clubs available to pupils
- Need to ensure all staff deliver new strategies effectively so all pupils reach the highest possible outcomes
- Limited opportunities for pupils to explore talents and interests beyond academic curriculum
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong relationships between school and families, and effective pastoral support for vulnerable pupils.
Extracurricular Activities
School councillor roles, playground leaders, librarian roles, digital leader roles, World War II cooking activity
Leighswood School is a primary school where pupils enjoy attending and behave well in lessons. Most pupils achieve well by the end of key stage 2, and the school has strong relationships between staff and pupils.
At a Glance
29.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
70 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 declined from 79% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 82% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 83% to 78% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.4
Avg class size
26.2
Infant (KS1)
26.6
KS2
17
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Leighswood School
Term dates
Leighswood School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Walsall. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 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)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Thursday 2 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Monday 24 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Leighswood School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Leighswood School is in Walsall; for families living there:
Apply to Walsall for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 16 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
9 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 Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 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 Leighswood School
Will you get a place at Leighswood School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Leighswood School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Leighswood School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Leighswood School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Walsall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Leighswood School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Walsall 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
92%
Near capacity
417 pupils
451 places
34 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Walsall
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Walsall
Across Walsall council
Places available
3,855
Applications
3,340
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Walsall council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
66
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
19.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Leighswood School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 16 places, 0 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
442
Total Pupils
237
Boys
205
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,095
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,311
Per pupil
£2587k
Total funding
£192k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
16.7%
Persistent absence
378
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 Leighswood School
What are SATs results like at Leighswood School?
Of the pupils at Leighswood School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is Leighswood School's Ofsted rating?
Leighswood School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Leighswood School?
No fixed boundary. When Leighswood School is oversubscribed, Walsall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Leighswood School?
Leighswood School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 451 places.
How big are the classes at Leighswood School?
Classes at Leighswood School average 23.4 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Leighswood School?
Leighswood School has around 442 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Leighswood School have specialist SEN provision?
Leighswood School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 16 places, 0 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Leighswood School?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Leighswood School in 2024/25. 16.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Leighswood School?
Apply through Walsall's coordinated admissions process, naming Leighswood 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.
What are Leighswood School's term dates?
Leighswood School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Walsall. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 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). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Thursday 2 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Monday 24 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Leighswood School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 16 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 9 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 Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Leighswood School?
Leighswood School is at Broadmeadow, Aldridge, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 8HZ.
Sources: Walsall term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)