Dorrington Academy, Birmingham
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Dorrington Academy creates a warm, supportive environment where pupils are kind to each other and keen to learn. The school excels at teaching mathematics and has recently overhauled its curriculum to be more ambitious for all children. Your child will enjoy numerous enrichment activities and learn important values like respect and compassion alongside their academic studies.
Key Strengths
- Pupils are polite, well-mannered and support one another, living out the school motto 'together we are stronger'
- Strong provision for pupils with special educational needs who are quickly identified and receive skilled support
- Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum with particularly strong mathematics teaching
- Pupils develop excellent teamwork and social skills through a wide range of sports and clubs
- Strong focus on values, citizenship and preparing pupils for life in modern Britain
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers in some subjects do not effectively identify and address gaps in pupils' prior knowledge, which slows progress
- Inconsistent teaching of early reading and writing skills, particularly phonics, which impacts struggling readers
- Pupils' attendance remains a concern - some miss too much school and the school lacks effective oversight of this
- Trust governance needs strengthening to ensure leaders are properly held to account
- Published outcomes in reading do not match the school's high expectations
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports activities, art clubs, craft clubs, yoga clubs, museum trips, castle trips, fieldwork studies, author visits, school council, play ambassador roles, peer mediation, litter-picking, fundraising
Dorrington Academy is a primary school of 650 pupils that previously received an outstanding rating. The inspection found that while the school has high expectations and recent curriculum improvements, some aspects of its work may not be as strong as before, particularly in reading, writing, and how teachers identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.
At a Glance
36.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
40 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 60% to 83%. Maths has improved from 76% to 81%. Writing has remained stable at around 85%.
Class Sizes
28.6
Avg class size
28.9
Infant (KS1)
28.4
KS2
20
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
651 pupils
708 capacity
57 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Birmingham
Admissions Demand - Birmingham
Places available
15,570
Applications
12,541
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.0%
Primary admissions across Birmingham (2025/26)
Inspection History(106)
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.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.80099%
Overall absence
19.37843%
Persistent absence
547
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Dorrington Academy
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