Brambles Primary Academy, Middlesbrough
Brambles Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Middlesbrough, part of Tees Valley Education. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 57 schools in Middlesbrough with published results, and 2,822nd of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Middlesbrough (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Brambles Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Brambles Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in Middlesbrough and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 78% in reading and 76% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Brambles Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put Brambles Primary Academy as their first choice and 73 named it as one of their preferences, for 41 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 Brambles Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Brambles Primary Academy are Corpus Christi RC Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 58% reading, 58% maths); Pallister Park Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 70% reading, 79% maths); Lift Caldicotes (0.5 miles, Good, 85% reading, 88% maths); and Thorntree Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 82% reading, 76% maths).
Brambles Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Corpus Christi RC Primary SchoolPallister Park Primary SchoolLift CaldicotesThorntree Academy
The trust
Brambles Primary Academy is one of 5 schools run by Tees Valley Education, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
20 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Brambles Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
71% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 8.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (78%), Black (8%) and Mixed (7%).
Staffing
Brambles Primary Academy had 22 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is James Cook Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Corpus Christi RC Primary School (a), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Brambles Primary Academy 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, Brambles Primary Academy issued 4 suspensions, 1.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Brambles Primary Academy are Lift Unity City (0.7 miles), Outwood Academy Ormesby (1 mile), St Peter's Catholic College (1.1 miles) and Outwood Academy Normanby (1.2 miles).
Lift Unity CityOutwood Academy OrmesbySt Peter's Catholic CollegeOutwood Academy Normanby
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; DfE school workforce census; 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 2014, 12 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 January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Brambles Primary Academy excels in creating a calm, purposeful learning environment where pupils achieve highly and make excellent progress. The school goes far beyond typical school provision, offering exceptional pastoral support to families and creating a deeply inclusive culture. With outstanding teaching across all subjects and specialist support for every child's needs, the school truly makes a meaningful difference in pupils' lives and their families' wellbeing.
Key Strengths
- Exciting and engaging curriculum that builds on prior knowledge with a sharp focus on vocabulary development
- Excellent phonics programme with daily reading teaching and a carefully curated library
- Exceptional support for pupils with special educational needs through specialist support and tailored interventions
- Outstanding early years provision with engaging activities that deeply engage children
- Exemplary personal development programme including careers education, debate opportunities, and well-attended holiday clubs
Areas for Improvement
- A small number of pupils continue to have low attendance and miss school despite targeted support to improve this
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Careers programme, debate opportunities, holiday clubs, school trips, breakfast club
Brambles Primary Academy is an outstanding school that sits at the heart of its community, providing excellent education and support to pupils and families. The school's vision of 'learning together; growing together; making a difference' is lived out through every aspect of school life, with very strong relationships and high expectations for all pupils.
At a Glance
71.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
20 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 improved from 78% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 76% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 87% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.4
Avg class size
21.0
Infant (KS1)
21.9
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Brambles Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Brambles Primary Academy.
- The 3 O'clock Club850m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Brambles Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Brambles Primary Academy is in Middlesbrough; for families living there:
Apply to Middlesbrough for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 26
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 13
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 13 serious and 12 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Middlesbrough is 14 (the median across 64 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 Brambles Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Brambles Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Brambles Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Brambles Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Brambles Primary Academy.
- Middlesbrough publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Brambles Primary Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Brambles Primary Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Middlesbrough 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
98%
Near capacity
308 pupils
315 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Middlesbrough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Middlesbrough
Across Middlesbrough council
Places available
2,055
Applications
1,593
Got 1st preference
96.3%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Middlesbrough council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
48
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
16.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
359
Total Pupils
169
Boys
190
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
16.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,871
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,580
Per pupil
£2326k
Total funding
£286k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
18.9%
Persistent absence
270
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
Brambles Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Brambles Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Brambles Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Brambles Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Brambles Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Brambles Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Brambles Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Brambles Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Middlesbrough allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Brambles Primary Academy?
Brambles Primary Academy was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Brambles Primary Academy?
Classes at Brambles Primary Academy average 21.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Brambles Primary Academy?
Brambles Primary Academy has around 359 pupils on roll. 71% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Brambles Primary Academy?
5.4% of sessions were missed at Brambles Primary Academy in 2024/25. 18.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Brambles Primary Academy?
Apply through Middlesbrough's coordinated admissions process, naming Brambles Primary Academy 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 Brambles Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Brambles Primary Academy: The 3 O'clock Club (850m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Brambles Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 13 serious and 12 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Middlesbrough is 14 (the median across 64 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Brambles Primary Academy?
Brambles Primary Academy is at Kedward Avenue, Brambles, Middlesbrough, Teesside, TS3 9DB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)