St Mark's CofE Primary School, Brierley Hill
St Mark's CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Brierley Hill. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 11 schools in Brierley Hill with published results, and 7,842nd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 103% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- 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 Dudley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mark's CofE Primary School in detail
St Mark's CofE Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "St Mark's C of E is a friendly and welcoming school with caring and supportive staff. We continuously strive to improve the quality of education that we provide for the children, ensuring that our work is always underpinned by our strong Christian Values in an effort to realise our Christian Vision."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:15am and after-school care until 5:30pm.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at St Mark's CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 75% in Dudley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 49% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Mark's CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 35 families put St Mark's CofE Primary School as their first choice and 67 named it as one of their preferences, for 44 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 St Mark's CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mark's CofE Primary School are The Bromley-Pensnett Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 74% reading, 77% maths); Russells Hall Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 58% reading, 61% maths); Crestwood Park Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 80% reading, 83% maths); and Woodside Primary School and Nursery (1 mile, Good, 45% reading, 40% maths).
St Mark's CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
The Bromley-Pensnett Primary SchoolRussells Hall Primary SchoolCrestwood Park Primary SchoolWoodside Primary School and Nursery
Who goes there
38.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Flood Street (West Midlands Metro), about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High Oak Surgery (adjacent), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mark's CofE Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mark's CofE Primary School issued 6 suspensions, 1.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mark's CofE Primary School are The Crestwood School (1.1 miles), Pegasus Academy (1.1 miles), Kingswinford Academy (1.5 miles) and Ellowes Hall Sports College (1.8 miles).
The Crestwood SchoolPegasus AcademyKingswinford AcademyEllowes Hall Sports College
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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2022 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mark's puts genuine care for each child at the heart of everything it does, creating a warm family atmosphere where all pupils feel valued and safe. The school excels at teaching reading and maths, with expert phonics teaching that helps all children love books and develop strong academic skills. Leadership is committed and improving the school, with parents noticing the positive changes and more families choosing to join.
Key Strengths
- Excellent care and well-being focus - all staff know pupils and families extremely well
- Strong teaching of phonics and reading with consistent practice across the school
- High-quality, ambitious curriculum particularly in reading, writing and mathematics
- Inclusive support for pupils with SEND who receive tailored help to succeed
- Positive behaviour and welcoming school culture where pupils feel safe and valued
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum plans in a few subjects need further development so leaders can properly track what pupils are learning over time
- Limited clubs, visits and visitors offered - parents and pupils would like more enrichment opportunities
- Subject leaders in some areas need more skills and support to monitor their subjects effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with all staff well-trained, robust record-keeping, and a dedicated Community and Well-being Team providing early help to families.
Extracurricular Activities
World Book Day, Comic Relief, special celebration events, Queen's Platinum Jubilee activities
St Mark's CofE Primary School is a good school where pupils feel safe, happy and loved as part of a family community. The school has made significant improvements since the headteacher's appointment, with strong teaching in reading and mathematics.
At a Glance
38.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 49% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 67% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 56% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.0
Avg class size
25.6
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mark's CofE Primary School
Term dates
St Mark's CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Dudley. 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 St Mark's CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mark's CofE Primary School is in Dudley; for families living there:
- How to apply: Apply for Education Travel Support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 23
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 16 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 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 St Mark's CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at St Mark's CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mark's CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mark's CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mark's CofE Primary School.
- Dudley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Mark's CofE Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mark's CofE Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Dudley 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
103%
Over capacity
309 pupils
300 places
9 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Brierley Hill
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brierley Hill
Across Dudley council
Places available
3,812
Applications
3,314
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All primary applications across Dudley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(13)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
61
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
21.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
336
Total Pupils
164
Boys
172
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
19.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,848
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,936
Per pupil
£2068k
Total funding
£185k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
15.6%
Persistent absence
276
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
St Mark's CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Mark's CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mark's CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mark's CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is St Mark's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mark's CofE Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for St Mark's CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mark's CofE Primary School is oversubscribed, Dudley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mark's CofE Primary School?
St Mark's CofE Primary School was full in 2025, at 103% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Mark's CofE Primary School?
Classes at St Mark's CofE Primary School average 26 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mark's CofE Primary School?
St Mark's CofE Primary School has around 336 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mark's CofE Primary School?
6.2% of sessions were missed at St Mark's CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 15.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mark's CofE Primary School?
Apply through Dudley's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mark's CofE 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.
What are St Mark's CofE Primary School's term dates?
St Mark's CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Dudley. 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 St Mark's CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 16 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mark's CofE Primary School?
St Mark's CofE Primary School is at High Street, Pensnett, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 4DZ.
Sources: Dudley term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)