Dickens Heath Community Primary School, Solihull

Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~722m)Possible (~1.0km)Unlikely (~1.3km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs J Nicholls
Pupils:453 / 470 capacity
LA:Solihull
Phone:01217338359
Address:Three Acres Lane, Dickens Heath, Solihull, B90 1NA
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2002

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 4 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Strong Standard
Behaviour
Strong Standard
Personal Development
Strong Standard
Leadership
Strong Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 19 May 2026View full report
URN:133720
UKPRN:10071792
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Solihull West and Shirley
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Dickens Heath excels at creating an inclusive, caring environment where every child - including those with special educational needs - thrives academically and personally. Teachers are highly skilled at explaining learning clearly and adapting lessons so all pupils access the same important content and experience success. The school combines strong academic results with outstanding behaviour and attendance, creating a calm, purposeful learning environment where pupils are eager to come to school.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils achieve consistently high results in phonics, multiplication tables, and end of key stage 2 assessments, including disadvantaged pupils
  • Strong inclusive practice with expert support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, who make excellent progress
  • Excellent behaviour, attendance and relationships - pupils love coming to school with attendance above national average
  • Well-designed progressive curriculum with expert teaching that closes knowledge gaps quickly
  • Inclusive ethos with 'keep up rather than catch up' approach embedded throughout the school

Areas for Improvement

  • Early years staff could be more precise and systematic in building knowledge and skills during some activities
  • Some early years activities could be more specifically matched to individual children's needs

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

School farm, drama, cookery, music opportunities, sports, residential visits to outdoor education centres, before and after school clubs

Dickens Heath Community Primary School is a strong performing school where pupils achieve very well across all key stages, with particularly impressive results in reading, writing, and mathematics. The school is built on a culture of inclusion, positive relationships, and high expectations for all learners.

At a Glance

14.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMaths+10ppWriting+5pp

Reading has remained stable at around 85%. Maths has improved from 77% to 87%. Writing has improved from 74% to 79%.

Class Sizes

26.9

Avg class size

26.4

Infant (KS1)

26.6

KS2

17

Total classes

2 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Whitlocks End Rail Station
913m · 15 min walk

Bus Stops

Fords Road (Adj)
1.1km · 17 min walk
Rolan Drive (adj)
1.3km · 22 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

96%

Near capacity

453 pupils

470 capacity

17 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Solihull

High pressure
New homes approved:4,508
Projected new pupils:1,127

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Solihull

Admissions Demand - Solihull

Low demand0.80x oversubscription

Places available

2,650

Applications

2,115

Got 1st preference

92.6%

Got preferred school

99.3%

Primary admissions across Solihull (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

19 May 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years
5 April 2022
24 January 2017

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.41296%

Overall absence

8.99471%

Persistent absence

378

Enrolments

Authorised3.40277%
Unauthorised1.0102%
Persistent (10%+)8.99471%
Severe (50%+)0.79365%

Absence trend

3.82884%
18/19
3.31967%
20/21
6.47977%
21/22
4.91818%
22/23
4.89714%
23/24
4.41296%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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