Lift Lea Forest, Birmingham
Lift Lea Forest is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Birmingham, part of Lift Schools. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 40th-highest of the 275 schools in Birmingham with published results, and 2,234th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.8 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 103% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2022)
- Demand
- 1.8 first choices per place
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Birmingham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lift Lea Forest in detail
Lift Lea Forest in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include cooking and forest school.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils at Lift Lea Forest reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Birmingham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 100% in reading and 99% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Lift Lea Forest
For September 2026 entry, 110 families put Lift Lea Forest as their first choice and 265 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.8 first choices for every place. 52 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lift Lea Forest are Gossey Lane Academy (0.4 miles, Requires improvement, 93% reading, 80% maths); The Oval School (0.5 miles, Good, 75% reading, 76% maths); Audley Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 75% reading, 77% maths); and Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infants (0.6 miles, Good).
Lift Lea Forest's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Gossey Lane AcademyThe Oval SchoolAudley Primary SchoolOasis Academy Blakenhale Infants
The trust
Lift Lea Forest is one of 62 schools run by Lift Schools, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
66% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 42.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (37%), White British (27%) and Mixed (15%).
In 2026, 63 pupils (11.8%) received SEN support and 14 (2.6%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lea Hall Rail Station, about 280 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
20 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Folliott Road (before), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lift Lea Forest 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, Lift Lea Forest issued 2 suspensions, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lift Lea Forest are Tile Cross Academy (0.7 miles), Centre for Accelerated Learning (0.8 miles), Cockshut Hill School (1 mile) and King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy (1.1 miles).
Tile Cross AcademyCentre for Accelerated LearningCockshut Hill SchoolKing Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy
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; 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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its December 2022 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
66.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 100% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 99% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 93% to 85% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.4
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
24.5
KS2
22
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Lift Lea Forest
Before and after school care
Lift Lea Forest is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Birmingham
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Lift Lea Forest.
- Central Out of School Club630m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Lift Lea Forest is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Birmingham's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lift Lea Forest from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift Lea Forest 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
- 43
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 43 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 33 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
12 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
Your chances of a place at Lift Lea Forest
Will you get a place at Lift Lea Forest? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift Lea Forest's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift Lea Forest:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift Lea Forest.
- Birmingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Lift Lea Forest that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift Lea Forest for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Birmingham 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
103%
Over capacity
526 pupils
510 places
16 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Birmingham
Across Birmingham council
Places available
15,375
Applications
12,117
Got 1st preference
92.1%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Birmingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: 1.8 first choices per place
Inspection History(4)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
63
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
14.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
536
Total Pupils
283
Boys
253
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
26
Teachers
20.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,294
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,179
Per pupil
£3952k
Total funding
£527k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
13.7%
Persistent absence
474
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 Lift Lea Forest
What are SATs results like at Lift Lea Forest?
Of the pupils at Lift Lea Forest who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 87% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Lift Lea Forest's Ofsted rating?
Lift Lea Forest was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2016 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lift Lea Forest?
No fixed boundary. When Lift Lea Forest is oversubscribed, Birmingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Lift Lea Forest?
Lift Lea Forest was full in 2025, at 103% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Lift Lea Forest?
Classes at Lift Lea Forest average 24.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Lift Lea Forest?
Lift Lea Forest has around 536 pupils on roll. 66% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift Lea Forest?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Lift Lea Forest in 2024/25. 13.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift Lea Forest?
Apply through Birmingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift Lea Forest 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 Lift Lea Forest have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Lift Lea Forest is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Lift Lea Forest: Central Out of School Club (630m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Lift Lea Forest?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 43 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 33 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 12 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 Lift Lea Forest?
Lift Lea Forest is at Hurstcroft Road, Kitts Green, Birmingham, B33 9RD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)