Short Heath Junior School, Willenhall
Short Heath Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Willenhall. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 8 schools in Willenhall with published results, and 12,831st of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Capacity
- 94% full
- Attendance
- Below England average
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Short Heath Junior School in detail
Short Heath Junior School in its own words
In its own words: "We nurture the hearts of our children, support them all to grow, watch them flourish, and then fly..."
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at Short Heath Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 60% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 74% in Walsall and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (60% in reading, 63% in maths).
Getting a place at Short Heath Junior School
Across Walsall, 94% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Walsall lodged 44 appeals against primary school offers; 30 reached a hearing and 1 succeeded (3.3% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Short Heath Junior School are Rosedale Church of England C Infant School (under 0.1 miles, Good); Lodge Farm Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 54% reading, 68% maths); Woodlands Academy of Learning (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 85% maths); and Bentley West Primary School (0.6 miles, 58% reading, 45% maths).
Short Heath Junior School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Rosedale Church of England C Infant SchoolLodge Farm Primary SchoolWoodlands Academy of LearningBentley West Primary School
Who goes there
51.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (67%), Asian (14%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 94 pupils (30.8%) received SEN support and 32 (10.5%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Short Heath Junior School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 8 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Willenhall Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sherlock Close (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Short Heath Junior School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Short Heath Junior School issued 8 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Short Heath Junior School are Willenhall E-ACT Academy (0.4 miles), Pool Hayes Academy (0.7 miles) and Coppice Performing Arts School (1.2 miles).
Willenhall E-ACT AcademyPool Hayes AcademyCoppice Performing Arts School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from May 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2022 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Short Heath Junior School excels at helping all pupils learn to read confidently and understand mathematics through clear teaching. The school is highly inclusive, quickly identifying and supporting pupils with additional needs so they can access the full curriculum. Parents appreciate the genuine care shown by staff, and pupils feel safe knowing adults will listen to their worries and act quickly on any concerns.
Key Strengths
- Strong teaching of reading with consistent approach focusing on comprehension skills and ensuring pupils read at their level
- Excellent leadership of mathematics with clear learning goals and effective use of 'warm-up' questions to help pupils remember facts
- Quick identification and support for pupils with special educational needs, allowing them to access the same curriculum as their peers
- Effective assessment in reading and mathematics to identify where pupils need extra help
- Inclusive approach where leaders, staff and governors work together to make everyone feel welcome
Areas for Improvement
- A few subjects lack precise identification of what specific knowledge and skills pupils should learn in each year group, causing gaps in learning
- Some pupils struggle to manage their emotions and behaviour at lunchtime, with occasional boisterous play
- Attendance issues - some pupils are regularly absent, meaning they miss too much learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with senior leaders vigilant to changes in pupils' behaviour, reporting concerns quickly, keeping detailed records, and ensuring staff training is up to date.
Extracurricular Activities
After-school clubs including art and choir
Short Heath Junior School continues to be a good school where leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils, ensuring they gain confidence and achieve well in a friendly, supportive environment.
At a Glance
51.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 61% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 60% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 73% to 45% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.5
Avg class size
23.5
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Short Heath Junior School
Before and after school care
Short Heath Junior School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Walsall
Term dates
Short Heath Junior 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 Short Heath Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Short Heath Junior 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
- 22
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 19 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
337 pupils
360 places
23 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Willenhall
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Willenhall
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.
Inspection History(12)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
94
SEN Support
32
EHC Plans
41.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Short Heath Junior School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 8 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
305
Total Pupils
163
Boys
142
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
14.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,857
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,823
Per pupil
£2193k
Total funding
£215k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.2%
Overall absence
30.3%
Persistent absence
366
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
Short Heath Junior School
Questions parents ask about Short Heath Junior School
What are SATs results like at Short Heath Junior School?
Of the pupils at Short Heath Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 61% reached the expected standard in reading and 60% did so in maths.
What is Short Heath Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Short Heath Junior School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Short Heath Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When Short Heath Junior 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 Short Heath Junior School?
Short Heath Junior School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 360 places.
How big are the classes at Short Heath Junior School?
Classes at Short Heath Junior School average 23.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Short Heath Junior School?
Short Heath Junior School has around 305 pupils on roll. 51% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Short Heath Junior School have specialist SEN provision?
Short Heath Junior School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 8 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Short Heath Junior School?
9.2% of sessions were missed at Short Heath Junior School in 2024/25. 30.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Short Heath Junior School?
Apply through Walsall's coordinated admissions process, naming Short Heath Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Short Heath Junior School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Short Heath Junior School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
What are Short Heath Junior School's term dates?
Short Heath Junior 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 Short Heath Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 19 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Short Heath Junior School?
Short Heath Junior School is at Pennine Way, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV12 4DS.
Sources: Walsall term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)