Bells Farm Primary School

Bells Farm Primary School has shown a solid performance since its previous inspection 12 years ago, now judged as good under the current framework. The school fosters a welcoming atmosphere where pupils are encouraged to aim for excellence, and provides a broad curriculum that includes enriching experiences outside the classroom. Notably, the school excels in ensuring pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive strong support in their educational journey. Despite the positive aspects, the school has been identified as needing to improve teachers' subject knowledge consistency across various subjects and enhancing social skills development in early years.

Strengths

• Welcoming and nurturing atmosphere for all pupils.
• High aspirations for all students, including those with SEND.
• Well-planned and ambitious curriculum from early years to Year 6.
• Effective and well-structured phonics curriculum resulting in excellent reading achievement.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers due to effective training and support.
• Good behaviour and positive attitudes toward learning.
• Pupils have plenty of opportunities for leadership and participation in varied clubs.
• Strong governance with a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent subject knowledge among teachers in some disciplines.
• Limited development of children's social skills in early years.

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 Bells Farm Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.3% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Bells Farm 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 Bells Farm Primary School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.9% 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, 22.1% of pupils at Bells Farm Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 Bells Farm Primary School received £8,814 and spent £8,482 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £84,000 (-£430 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 Bells Farm Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bells Farm Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Bells Farm Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bells Farm Primary School was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Bells Farm Primary School have?

Bells Farm Primary School has 195 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bells Farm Primary School cover?

Bells Farm Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bells Farm Primary School?

Bells Farm Primary School is at Bells Farm Close, Druids Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands, B14 5QP.