Fox Hollies School, Birmingham
Fox Hollies School is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in Birmingham, part of Birmingham Special Schools Trust. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, ended in a report card: 4 strong standard and 3 expected standard. Before that it was rated Good at its last graded inspection, in May 2022.
- Ofsted report card
- 4 of 7 areas strong or better
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Fox Hollies School in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 9 June 2026 inspection grades Fox Hollies School on 7 areas: 4 strong standard and 3 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Put simply, pupils want to be in school."
Inclusion - Strong standard. "What is fundamental to the success of this highly inclusive school is the extent to which staff and leaders understand pupils' SEND needs precisely."
Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders and governors share an absolute dedication for providing pupils with a high-quality, enjoyable education."
Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school's 'my body, my rights' personal, social and health education programme has been thoughtfully tailored by leaders to make it meaningful and accessible."
Achievement - Expected standard. "From their starting points, pupils achieve well."
Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The curriculum across all three pathways is ambitious and under constant review and refinement by leaders who have an accurate understanding of the quality of its implementation."
Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders provide clear strategic direction for the post-16 provision, ensuring it is responsive to pupils' complex and changing needs."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that all staff apply an agreed approach to teaching foundational skills across all classes and pathways so that pupils make consistent progress in these areas, including in early writing".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Fox Hollies School are Uffculme School (0.3 miles, Good); Red Boots School (National Institute of Conductive Education) (0.7 miles, Outstanding); The Dame Ellen Pinsent School (1 mile, Outstanding); and St Paul's School (1.2 miles, Requires improvement, selective).
Uffculme SchoolRed Boots School (National Institute of Conductive Education)The Dame Ellen Pinsent SchoolSt Paul's School
The trust
Fox Hollies School is one of 6 schools run by Birmingham Special Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 13 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms.
Who goes there
66.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 31.9% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (37%), White British (36%) and Black (8%).
Almost every pupil at Fox Hollies School has an education, health and care plan (116 of 116 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Fox Hollies School has a SEN unit for severe learning difficulties: 102 places, 118 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kings Heath Rail Station, about 180 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Queensbridge School (after), 60 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Fox Hollies School issued 0 suspensions, 0 for every 100 pupils, and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- InclusionStrong standard
- Leadership and governanceStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
- AchievementExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
- Post 16 provisionExpected standard
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Fox Hollies School
Pupils at Fox Hollies are part of a vibrant, caring special school in which staff know and understand pupils' special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) very well. Pupils' needs are central to everything leaders and staff do and they work tirelessly to support them. Relationships across school are warm and welcoming, creating a learning environment in which pupils are safe, valued and almost always smiling. Pupils manage their behaviour and regulate their emotions well because staff support them consistently and skilfully in lessons, at transition times and throughout other times of the day. Pupils behave calmly and benefit from clear, embedded routines and expectations that they understand. Pupils, including those who are pre-verbal, use effective communication strategies to express their thoughts, feelings and worries. They show confidence in approaching staff, who respond quickly and deal with concerns effectively. As a result, instances of poor behaviour, including bullying, are rare. Pupils are consistently encouraged to be as independent as possible. They benefit by becoming more confident in their own abilities, more resilient to setbacks and less reliant on adult support. This is helping them to prepare for their next steps of education and in the wider world. The curriculum has been designed to provide the necessary learning and skills pupils need to prepare them for their future learning and for life beyond school. Pupils engage well in lessons because staff understand their needs and interests and so make learning purposeful and motivating. This careful, personalised approach helps pupils to enjoy learning and they throw themselves into activities with gusto. They achieve well from their starting points because staff carefully structure lessons, planning small steps in learning that build securely over time. This school is a hive of activity in which pupils learn, laugh and thrive.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should ensure that all staff apply an agreed approach to teaching foundational skills across all classes and pathways so that pupils make consistent progress in these areas, including in early writing.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 9 June 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Fox Hollies excels at understanding what each child needs and adapting teaching so every pupil can succeed. Staff create a calm, kind environment where pupils are happy to come to school and develop real confidence and independence. The school goes well beyond the classroom, using the local community to help pupils learn practical life skills they'll need as adults.
Key Strengths
- Behaviour is exceptional - lessons are calm with warm relationships and pupils support each other kindly
- Staff show outstanding skill in understanding and meeting each pupil's SEND needs with precise adaptations
- Attendance is very positive and significantly above national figures for special schools
- Strong leadership with a clear focus on continuous improvement and staff wellbeing
- Pupils develop real independence and life skills through meaningful learning in local communities
Areas for Improvement
- Some inconsistency in how teachers model and support early writing skills, including letter formation
- Teaching of some foundational skills could be more refined to prevent misconceptions
- Some variation in teacher expectations and support across the school for basic literacy and numeracy skills
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open and positive culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, all legal requirements are met, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Projects with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Midlands Art Centre, visits to local farm park, supermarket visits, growing food, community access, workplace experience opportunities, local highstreet and park visits
Fox Hollies School is a special school that provides high-quality education for pupils with a range of SEND needs. Leaders and staff demonstrate deep understanding of pupils' individual needs and create a warm, inclusive environment where pupils are happy, settled and feel safe.
At a Glance
66.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SEN unit: SLD
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Fox Hollies School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Fox Hollies School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Fox Hollies 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
- 28
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 24 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
3 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
114%
Over capacity
116 pupils
102 places
14 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Birmingham
Across Birmingham council
Places available
14,956
Applications
14,483
Got 1st preference
75.7%
Got preferred school
97.4%
All secondary applications across Birmingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
116
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Fox Hollies School has a SEN unit for severe learning difficulties: 102 places, 118 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
116
Total Pupils
76
Boys
40
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
8.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,046
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.2%
Overall absence
32.5%
Persistent absence
77
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Fox Hollies School
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Fox Hollies School
What is Fox Hollies School's Ofsted rating?
Fox Hollies School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2022, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Fox Hollies School?
No fixed boundary. When Fox Hollies School is oversubscribed, Birmingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Fox Hollies School?
Fox Hollies School has around 116 pupils on roll. 66% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Fox Hollies School have specialist SEN provision?
Fox Hollies School has a SEN unit for severe learning difficulties: 102 places, 118 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Fox Hollies School?
10.2% of sessions were missed at Fox Hollies School in 2024/25. 32.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Fox Hollies School?
Apply through Birmingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Fox Hollies School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Fox Hollies School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 24 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 3 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 Fox Hollies School?
Fox Hollies School is at Highbury Community Campus, Queensbridge Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B13 8QB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)