Alston Primary School, Birmingham
Alston Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Birmingham, part of Leigh Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 212th-highest of the 275 schools in Birmingham with published results, and 10,597th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 Birmingham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Alston Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils at Alston Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Birmingham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 63% in reading and 66% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Alston Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put Alston Primary School as their first choice and 132 named it as one of their preferences, for 63 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 Alston Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Alston Primary School are Bordesley Green Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 61% reading, 60% maths); St Cuthbert's RC Junior and Infant (NC) School (0.6 miles, Good, 83% reading, 79% maths); Thornton Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 81% maths); and Shaw Hill Primary School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 92% maths).
Alston Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Bordesley Green Primary SchoolSt Cuthbert's RC Junior and Infant (NC) SchoolThornton Primary SchoolShaw Hill Primary School
The trust
Alston Primary School is one of 7 schools run by Leigh Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
195 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Alston Primary School (as of April 2026): 100% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (86%).
Who goes there
55.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 83.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (75%), other ethnic groups (7%) and Black (7%).
In 2026, 131 pupils (20.6%) received SEN support and 7 (1.1%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Alston Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 22 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Stechford Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Heartlands Hospital, 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Alston Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Alston Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Alston Primary School are Saltley Academy (0.2 miles); Waverley Studio College (0.3 miles); Waverley School (0.4 miles); and Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East (0.6 miles).
Saltley AcademyWaverley Studio CollegeWaverley SchoolEden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 June 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Alston Primary School creates a happy, respectful environment where children thrive academically and feel safe. The school prioritises reading from the start and adapts teaching to meet every child's needs, including those with SEND. Teachers work hard to bring learning to life through trips and enrichment activities, and staff are dedicated to supporting both pupils and families.
Key Strengths
- Strong early years curriculum that develops children's communication and language skills before they enter Year 1
- Reading is prioritised with well-trained staff identifying struggling pupils and providing rapid catch-up support
- High-quality teaching across subjects with careful sequencing of curriculum and multiple levels of challenge
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, helping them access the same curriculum as other pupils
- Positive school culture where pupils feel safe, behave respectfully, and are proud to be part of the community
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not always explain subject-specific vocabulary precisely enough, leaving some pupils unsure of word meanings
- Staff occasionally do not model learning task expectations clearly enough, causing confusion
- Ensure teachers' explanations are consistently clear and learning tasks are explained with precision
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils knowing they have trusted adults to talk to about worries or concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
School choir, national singing project, cheerleading competition, pantomime trips, three educational visits per year, breakfast club, musical instruments (dhol drums, recorders), after-school club
Alston Primary School has maintained good standards since its previous inspection in 2019. Pupils are happy, behave well, and achieve strong outcomes with high expectations set for all learners.
At a Glance
55.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
195 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 63% to 69% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 66% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.8
Avg class size
26.2
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
22
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Alston Primary School
Before and after school care
Alston Primary 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 Birmingham
Term dates
Alston Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Birmingham's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Alston Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Alston Primary School is in Birmingham; for families living there:
- How to apply: Travel passes for 5 to 16 year olds
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 55
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 55 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 49 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
15 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 Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 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 Alston Primary School
Will you get a place at Alston Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Alston Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Alston Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Alston Primary School.
- Birmingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Alston Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Alston Primary School for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Birmingham 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
588 pupils
630 places
42 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Birmingham
Across Birmingham council
Places available
15,375
Applications
12,117
Got 1st preference
92.1%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Birmingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
131
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
21.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Alston Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 22 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
636
Total Pupils
310
Boys
326
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
34
Teachers
18.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,264
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,892
Per pupil
£4050k
Total funding
£423k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
17.4%
Persistent absence
546
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 Alston Primary School
What are SATs results like at Alston Primary School?
Of the pupils at Alston Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 69% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is Alston Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Alston Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Alston Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Alston Primary School is oversubscribed, Birmingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Alston Primary School?
Alston Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Alston Primary School?
Classes at Alston Primary School average 27.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Alston Primary School?
Alston Primary School has around 636 pupils on roll. 56% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Alston Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Alston Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 22 places, 9 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Alston Primary School?
6.2% of sessions were missed at Alston Primary School in 2024/25. 17.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Alston Primary School?
Apply through Birmingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Alston 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.
Does Alston Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Alston Primary 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.
How many road collisions happen near Alston Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 55 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 49 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 15 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 Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Alston Primary School?
Alston Primary School is at Alston Road, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, West Midlands, B9 5UN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)