Gunter Primary School

Gunter Primary School is a happy and inclusive community primary where pupils feel safe and behave well. Inspectors found the school has worked successfully to build an ambitious curriculum, with early reading a clear priority and strong support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Personal development is a particular strength, with pupils benefiting from a wide range of responsibilities, clubs, trips and experiences that help them understand how to stay safe and contribute to school life. Leadership is effective, governors understand the school's priorities, and staff feel well supported. The school has improved since its previous inspection and is now effective in most areas. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and pupils typically make strong progress through a well-ordered curriculum. However, assessment is not consistently sharp enough to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge, and in some subjects leaders have not clearly identified the key pre-skills pupils need to progress well. Attendance is also a continuing concern, with a significant number of pupils absent or persistently absent, which slows their learning. The inspection took place under the current framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was given. The school's context includes sharing a site with a children's centre, running breakfast and after-school provision, and serving a pupil population where movement in and out of the school affects published outcomes. Inspectors recognised that published data does not reflect the quality of education current pupils receive.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well in lessons and around the school.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well ordered and builds pupils' understanding over time.
• Early reading is a clear priority, with well-trained staff and closely matched phonics practice.
• Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and well supported to access the full curriculum and extra-curricular offer.
• Personal development is exceptionally well promoted through meaningful themes, responsibilities and experiences.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, trips and roles such as the 'Gunter crews'.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and improvement priorities.
• Leaders consider staff workload and well-being, and staff feel fully supported.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not consistently used in sufficient detail to check pupils' understanding and pinpoint gaps in knowledge.
• In some subjects, the school has not clearly identified the important pre-skills pupils need to progress well through the curriculum.
• A significant number of pupils are absent or persistently absent, which slows their learning and progress.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Gunter Primary School attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 33.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.5% of pupils at Gunter Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Gunter Primary School had 17.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 31.9% of pupils at Gunter Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Gunter Primary School received £10,006 and spent £10,297 for each of its 182 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £703,000 (-£3,861 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is Gunter Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Gunter Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Gunter Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Gunter Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Gunter Primary School have?

Gunter Primary School has 182 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gunter Primary School cover?

Gunter Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Gunter Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Gunter Primary School?

Gunter Primary School is at Gunter Road, Pype Hayes, Birmingham, West Midlands, B24 0RU.