Lift Montgomery, Birmingham
Lift Montgomery is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Birmingham, part of Lift Schools. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 54th-highest of the 275 schools in Birmingham with published results, and 3,408th of 14,452 across England. It was 70% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
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 Montgomery in detail
Lift Montgomery in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Lift Montgomery reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Birmingham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 91% in reading and 91% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Lift Montgomery
For September 2026 entry, 63 families put Lift Montgomery as their first choice and 106 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 8 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lift Montgomery are Conway Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 61% reading, 69% maths); The Olive School, Small Heath (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 100% reading, 98% maths); Christ Church CofE Controlled Primary School and Nursery (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 77% reading, 73% maths); and Ladypool Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 76% reading, 73% maths).
Lift Montgomery's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Conway Primary SchoolThe Olive School, Small HeathChrist Church CofE Controlled Primary School and NurseryLadypool Primary School
The trust
Lift Montgomery 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.
What parents say
15 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lift Montgomery (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (87%).
Who goes there
58.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 94.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (73%), other ethnic groups (12%) and Black (9%).
In 2026, 80 pupils (17.2%) received SEN support and 9 (1.9%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Small Heath Rail Station, about 410 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Small Heath Station (opposite), 390 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lift Montgomery stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 712 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, vehicle crime and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Birmingham (435), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Lift Montgomery recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lift Montgomery are Holy Trinity Catholic School (0.3 miles), Ark Boulton Academy (0.5 miles), Small Heath Leadership Academy (0.6 miles) and Ark Victoria Academy (0.8 miles).
Holy Trinity Catholic SchoolArk Boulton AcademySmall Heath Leadership AcademyArk Victoria 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; 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 September 2014, 12 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 November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Montgomery Primary Academy excels at providing rich learning experiences that balance academic success with personal development. Pupils benefit from exceptional opportunities to develop creativity, teamwork and resilience through art, music, sport and theatre visits. The school truly fosters a love of reading and ensures that children with additional needs receive expert support to help them thrive.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional curriculum planning that builds learning progressively across subjects, ensuring knowledge sticks in long-term memory
- Outstanding early years provision with high levels of engagement and excellent progress
- Strong focus on fostering a love of reading with phonics lessons and rich vocabulary development, particularly for pupils with English as an additional language
- Extensive enrichment opportunities including artist-in-residence, specialist music and drama teachers, visits to galleries and theatres, and leadership roles like Shakespeare ambassador
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and additional needs, with specialist staff providing targeted help
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Radio club, artist-in-residence programme, specialist music and drama lessons, Shakespeare ambassador leadership role, theatre visits, art gallery visits, Parliament visits, physical activity and sports, debating
Montgomery Primary Academy is an outstanding school that sets out to provide excellent education for every child, every day. Pupils reach and exceed high expectations with exemplary behaviour and thrive as avid learners.
At a Glance
58.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
15 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 91% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 91% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 95% to 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.7
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
29.2
KS2
15
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 Lift Montgomery
Before and after school care
Lift Montgomery 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 Montgomery.
- Ackers Adventure Holiday Camp560m away · Not yet graded
- Our Little Journey660m away · Not yet graded
- Star Kids Club800m away · Not yet graded
- Excel Learning800m away · Not yet graded
- Smart Kids Club (Small Heath)810m away · Not yet graded
- Rising stars academy960m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Lift Montgomery 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 Montgomery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift Montgomery 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
- 82
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 82 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 67 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise.
11 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 Montgomery
Will you get a place at Lift Montgomery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift Montgomery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift Montgomery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift Montgomery.
- Birmingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Lift Montgomery that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift Montgomery 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
70%
Available places
438 pupils
630 places
192 spare places 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
80
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
19.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
466
Total Pupils
245
Boys
221
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
20.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,490
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,049
Per pupil
£3113k
Total funding
£344k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
17.8%
Persistent absence
394
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 Montgomery
What are SATs results like at Lift Montgomery?
Of the pupils at Lift Montgomery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Lift Montgomery's Ofsted rating?
Lift Montgomery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lift Montgomery?
No fixed boundary. When Lift Montgomery 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 Montgomery?
Lift Montgomery was not full in 2025: it ran at 70% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Lift Montgomery?
Classes at Lift Montgomery average 28.7 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 Lift Montgomery?
Lift Montgomery has around 466 pupils on roll. 59% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift Montgomery?
6.3% of sessions were missed at Lift Montgomery in 2024/25. 17.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift Montgomery?
Apply through Birmingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift Montgomery 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 Montgomery have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Lift Montgomery 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 6 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Lift Montgomery: Ackers Adventure Holiday Camp (560m away, registered, not yet graded), Our Little Journey (660m away, registered, not yet graded) and Star Kids Club (800m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Lift Montgomery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 82 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 67 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise. 11 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 Montgomery?
Lift Montgomery is at White Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, West Midlands, B11 1EH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)