Devonshire Infant Academy, Smethwick
Devonshire Infant Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Smethwick, part of Victoria Academies Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 97% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sandwell (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Devonshire Infant Academy in detail
Getting a place at Devonshire Infant Academy
For September 2026 entry, 107 families put Devonshire Infant Academy as their first choice and 155 named it as one of their preferences, for 89 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 20 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Devonshire Infant Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Devonshire Infant Academy are Devonshire Junior Academy (under 0.1 miles, Good, 78% reading, 81% maths); Crocketts Community Primary School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 83% maths); Uplands Manor Primary School and Nursery (0.6 miles, Good, 66% reading, 69% maths); and Galton Valley Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 79% reading, 81% maths).
Devonshire Junior AcademyCrocketts Community Primary SchoolUplands Manor Primary School and NurseryGalton Valley Primary School
The trust
Devonshire Infant Academy is one of 11 schools run by Victoria Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
10 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Devonshire Infant Academy (as of September 2025): 50% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 25% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (25%).
Who goes there
84.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (81%) and other ethnic groups (8%).
In 2026, 34 pupils (9.8%) received SEN support and 10 (2.9%) 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.
Devonshire Infant Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 5 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Smethwick Rolfe Street Rail Station, about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Smethwick Hall Park (adjacent), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Devonshire Infant Academy 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
Devonshire Infant Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Devonshire Infant Academy are Holly Lodge High School College of Science (0.5 miles), Bristnall Hall Academy (0.8 miles), Q3 Academy Langley (1 mile) and Sandwell Academy (1.2 miles).
Holly Lodge High School College of ScienceBristnall Hall AcademyQ3 Academy LangleySandwell Academy
Sources: 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
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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2013, 13 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 February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will be part of an inclusive, caring community where strong relationships between staff and pupils make them feel valued and happy. The school prioritises teaching children to read with engaging activities like group reads and peer support, ensuring all pupils can access learning across subjects. Pupils develop into respectful, responsible citizens through learning about different cultures, celebrating festivals together, and taking part in meaningful community activities.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with effective phonics teaching and peer support systems that help all pupils become confident readers
- Broad, ambitious curriculum with careful sequencing that helps pupils recall prior learning and understand how new concepts fit together
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, with pupils being kind, well-mannered and demonstrating high levels of self-control
- Excellent personal, social and health education integrated throughout school life, supporting pupil wellbeing and confidence
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, including specialist 'sunshine class' provision with tailored activities and staff trained in autism
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils who grasp concepts quickly are not always given further opportunities to deepen their learning and engage in meaningful tasks
- Reading for pleasure is still in early stages of implementation and needs to be integrated more fully across school life
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Theatre productions, farm visits, zoo visits, museum visits, local walks, gardening club, sports club, crafts club, breakfast club, after-school club
Devonshire Infant Academy is an inclusive school rooted in a culturally diverse community where pupils are proud to learn. The school was previously judged outstanding and continues to provide good quality education with outstanding behaviour, personal development, and early years provision.
At a Glance
20.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
10 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
24.9
Avg class size
28.2
Infant (KS1)
9
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 Devonshire Infant Academy
Term dates
Devonshire Infant Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Sandwell's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Devonshire Infant Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Devonshire Infant Academy is in Sandwell; for families living there:
Apply to Sandwell for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 24
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 22 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 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 Sandwell is 26.5 (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 Devonshire Infant Academy
Will you get a place at Devonshire Infant Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Devonshire Infant Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Devonshire Infant Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Devonshire Infant Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Sandwell, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Devonshire Infant Academy for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Sandwell 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
97%
Near capacity
263 pupils
270 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Smethwick
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Smethwick
Across Sandwell council
Places available
4,920
Applications
3,985
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Sandwell council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
34
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
12.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Devonshire Infant Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 5 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
346
Total Pupils
159
Boys
187
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
26.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,342
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,169
Per pupil
£1867k
Total funding
£106k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
12.7%
Persistent absence
181
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 Devonshire Infant Academy
What is Devonshire Infant Academy's Ofsted rating?
Devonshire Infant Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Devonshire Infant Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Devonshire Infant Academy is oversubscribed, Sandwell allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Devonshire Infant Academy?
Devonshire Infant Academy was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Devonshire Infant Academy?
Classes at Devonshire Infant Academy average 24.9 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 Devonshire Infant Academy?
Devonshire Infant Academy has around 346 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Devonshire Infant Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Devonshire Infant Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 5 places, 5 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Devonshire Infant Academy?
6% of sessions were missed at Devonshire Infant Academy in 2024/25. 12.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Devonshire Infant Academy?
Apply through Sandwell's coordinated admissions process, naming Devonshire Infant 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.
How many road collisions happen near Devonshire Infant Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 22 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 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 Sandwell is 26.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Devonshire Infant Academy?
Devonshire Infant Academy is at Auckland Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, B67 7AT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)