Ocker Hill Infant School, Tipton
Ocker Hill Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Tipton. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sandwell (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ocker Hill Infant School in detail
Ocker Hill Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "We are sure that you will enjoy your browsing and that you will be impressed by what our school has to offer and share. Ocker Hill Infant and Nursery is a caring, calm, innovative and creative place of learning and has a strong reputation within the local and educational community."
From the headteacher's welcome: "' This school provides pupils with a first-class early education.' Ofsted February 2025. Please click on the link below to read our recent Ofsted Inspection report. At Ocker Hill Infant and Nursery school; the staff enrich and ensure that that every child has a great start to their learning journey into school life."
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Ocker Hill Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 70 families put Ocker Hill Infant School as their first choice and 108 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 12 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Ocker Hill Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ocker Hill Infant School are Ocker Hill Academy (under 0.1 miles, Good, 81% reading, 87% maths); Jubilee Park Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 70% maths); Glebefields Primary School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 71% reading, 68% maths); and Joseph Turner Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 85% reading, 83% maths).
Ocker Hill AcademyJubilee Park AcademyGlebefields Primary SchoolJoseph Turner Primary School
What parents say
59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ocker Hill Infant School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Wednesbury Parkway (West Midlands Metro), about 850 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gospel Oak Road (after), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ocker Hill Infant School 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
Ocker Hill Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Ocker Hill Infant School are Gospel Oak School (0.6 miles) and Q3 Academy Tipton (0.9 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 October 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 February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at nurturing both academic progress and emotional well-being. Staff are kind and make every child feel valued, celebrating diversity and recognising each pupil's unique talents. Whether your child needs extra challenge or additional support, the school provides excellent tailored teaching to help them thrive.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary focus on early language development and reading, with highly effective additional support for struggling readers
- Ambitious and well-resourced mathematics curriculum that teaches pupils to persevere and learn from mistakes
- Excellent tailored support for pupils with different needs, whether accelerated learners or those needing specialist help
- Strong personal development programme including career-related learning that challenges stereotypes and builds aspirations
- Calm, purposeful lessons where all pupils can fully engage and achieve
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Breakfast club, choir, career-related learning programme
Ocker Hill Infant School is an outstanding school that sets high expectations and provides consistent routines enabling pupils to settle quickly and succeed. The school delivers exceptional progress in reading, writing, speaking and mathematics, with pupils reaching high standards by the end of Year 2.
At a Glance
20.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
59 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
25.8
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Ocker Hill Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Ocker Hill Infant School.
- Little Academy After School ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Great Bridge Parents Support Network970m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Ocker Hill Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Sandwell. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ocker Hill Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ocker Hill Infant School is in Sandwell; for families living there:
Apply to Sandwell for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 26
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 20 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
8 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 Sandwell is 26.5 (the median across 134 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 Ocker Hill Infant School
Will you get a place at Ocker Hill Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ocker Hill Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ocker Hill Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ocker Hill Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Sandwell, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Ocker Hill Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Sandwell 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
99%
Near capacity
179 pupils
180 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Tipton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Tipton
Across Sandwell council
Places available
4,920
Applications
3,985
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Sandwell council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
47
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
24.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
221
Total Pupils
119
Boys
102
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
20.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,641
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,129
Per pupil
£1264k
Total funding
£77k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
12.4%
Persistent absence
121
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
Ocker Hill Infant School
Questions parents ask about Ocker Hill Infant School
What is Ocker Hill Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Ocker Hill Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Ocker Hill Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Ocker Hill Infant School is oversubscribed, Sandwell allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Ocker Hill Infant School?
Ocker Hill Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Ocker Hill Infant School?
Classes at Ocker Hill Infant School average 25.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Ocker Hill Infant School?
Ocker Hill Infant School has around 221 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ocker Hill Infant School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Ocker Hill Infant School in 2024/25. 12.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ocker Hill Infant School?
Apply through Sandwell's coordinated admissions process, naming Ocker Hill Infant School 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 Ocker Hill Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Little Academy After School Club (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Ocker Hill Infant School's term dates?
Ocker Hill Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Sandwell. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Ocker Hill Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 20 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 8 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 Sandwell is 26.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ocker Hill Infant School?
Ocker Hill Infant School is at Gospel Oak Road, Tipton, West Midlands, DY4 0DS.
Sources: Sandwell term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)