Smith's Wood Primary Academy, Birmingham
Smith's Wood Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Birmingham. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 22nd-highest of the 275 schools in Birmingham with published results, and 1,534th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2017)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Solihull (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Smith's Wood Primary Academy in detail
Smith's Wood Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "It is my pleasure and privilege to introduce you to our outstanding, vibrant and inclusive school community. Smith's Wood was graded 'Outstanding' by Ofsted in 2017 and again in 2023. We are a two-form entry school, in North Solihull, which offers an outstanding education for all our pupils."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at Smith's Wood Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 90% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 82% and 81% in Solihull and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 85% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Smith's Wood Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 73 families put Smith's Wood Primary Academy as their first choice and 132 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 13 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Smith's Wood Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Smith's Wood Primary Academy are St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 60% reading, 73% maths); Kingshurst Primary School (0.6 miles, 80% reading, 72% maths); Castle Bromwich Infant and Nursery School (0.7 miles); and Castle Bromwich Junior School (0.7 miles, 80% reading, 78% maths).
Smith's Wood Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary SchoolKingshurst Primary SchoolCastle Bromwich Infant and Nursery SchoolCastle Bromwich Junior School
Who goes there
50.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 46 pupils (10.3%) received SEN support and 9 (2%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Water Orton Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Village Centre (adjacent), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Smith's Wood Primary Academy 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, Smith's Wood Primary Academy issued 3 suspensions, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Smith's Wood Primary Academy are Smith's Wood Academy (0.3 miles), Park Hall Academy (0.9 miles) and Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst (1.2 miles).
Smith's Wood AcademyPark Hall AcademyTudor Grange Academy Kingshurst
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from May 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Outstanding.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its May 2017 inspection - up from Good.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
50.3%
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 improved from 85% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 92% to 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
25.7
Infant (KS1)
24.0
KS2
17
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Smith's Wood Primary Academy
Duck, Dodge, Dive!
2 Oct 2026
Weekly Attendance
2 Oct 2026
Pupils of the Week
2 Oct 2026
Weekly Attendance
25 Sep 2026
The Not-So Vicious Vikings!
25 Sep 2026
Pupils of the Week
25 Sep 2026
From Smith's Wood Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Smith's Wood Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Smith's Wood Primary Academy 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 Solihull
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Smith's Wood Primary Academy.
- Central Out of School Club @ Kingshurst790m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Smith's Wood Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Solihull's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Smith's Wood Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Smith's Wood Primary Academy is in Solihull; for families living there:
Apply to Solihull for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 7 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
4 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 Solihull is 12 (the median across 90 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 Smith's Wood Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Smith's Wood Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Smith's Wood Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Smith's Wood Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Smith's Wood Primary Academy.
- Solihull publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Smith's Wood Primary Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Smith's Wood Primary Academy for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Solihull 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
418 pupils
420 places
2 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 Solihull council
Places available
2,638
Applications
2,090
Got 1st preference
91.7%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Solihull council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
46
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
12.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
445
Total Pupils
215
Boys
230
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
24
Teachers
18.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,497
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,002
Per pupil
£2967k
Total funding
£324k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
17.2%
Persistent absence
372
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
Smith's Wood Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Smith's Wood Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Smith's Wood Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 90% did so in maths.
What is Smith's Wood Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Smith's Wood Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2017, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Smith's Wood Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Solihull allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
Smith's Wood Primary Academy was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
Classes at Smith's Wood Primary Academy average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
Smith's Wood Primary Academy has around 445 pupils on roll. 50% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Smith's Wood Primary Academy in 2024/25. 17.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
Apply through Solihull's coordinated admissions process, naming Smith's Wood Primary Academy 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 Smith's Wood Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Smith's Wood Primary Academy 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 Smith's Wood Primary Academy: Central Out of School Club @ Kingshurst (790m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 7 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 4 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 Solihull is 12 (the median across 90 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Smith's Wood Primary Academy?
Smith's Wood Primary Academy is at Burton's Way, Smith's Wood, Birmingham, West Midlands, B36 0SZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)