Fox Hollies School

Fox Hollies School is a foundation special school for pupils with severe learning difficulties and is part of Birmingham Special Schools Cooperative Trust. This full section 5 inspection found a highly inclusive, caring school where pupils’ SEND needs are understood precisely and provision is shaped around them. Safeguarding requirements are met, and leaders have created an open, positive culture of safeguarding. Pupils are safe, happy, settled and almost always smiling; behaviour is a significant strength, with calm lessons, warm relationships and skilled de-escalation. Attendance in key stages 3 and 4 is very positive compared with national secondary and special school figures, although post-16 attendance is lower because of transport challenges. Inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, and attendance and behaviour are all strong. Family engagement, preparation for adulthood, community-based learning and curriculum enrichment are notable strengths. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and post-16 provision are at the expected standard. Pupils achieve well from their starting points, especially in communication and independence, and assessment is robust. However, there is some inconsistency in teacher expectations and support for foundational skills, including early writing and letter formation, and some pedagogical strategies are less refined. The main next step is to ensure all staff apply an agreed approach to teaching foundational skills across all classes and pathways so pupils make consistent progress. Leadership is strategic and proactive, staff feel proud and well supported, and there are no urgent improvement concerns.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive school with a precise understanding of pupils’ SEND needs.
• Staff expertise shapes the curriculum, class groupings and learning spaces effectively.
• Behaviour is a significant strength, with calm lessons and transitions and little disruption.
• Pupils are happy, settled, safe and kind to one another.
• Attendance in key stages 3 and 4 is very positive and well above special school national figures.
• Leaders maintain an accurate overview of attendance and act firmly on avoidable absence.
• Highly effective communication strategies, including symbols, objects of reference and signing.
• Robust assessment and rigorous monitoring of progress against EHC plan targets.
• Strong leadership and governance with accurate self-evaluation and strategic improvement planning.
• Leaders respond decisively to changing cohorts and prolonged staff absences.
• Strong engagement with parents, the local authority, arts organisations and the wider sector.
• Personal development is thoughtfully tailored to pupils’ SEND needs and builds confidence and self-advocacy.
• Preparation for adulthood is genuinely embedded, including transition support and life-skills.
• Rich curriculum enrichment through partnerships, visits, community access and practical activities.
• Pupils achieve well from their starting points and develop increasing confidence in expressive language.
• Post-16 provision is responsive, individualised and focused on preparation for adulthood.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel leaders consider their wellbeing and workload.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

Areas for Improvement

• Some inconsistency in teacher expectations and support for foundational skills across classes and pathways.
• Inconsistent modelling of letter formation limits progress in early writing for some pupils.
• Some pedagogical strategies are less refined, reducing the effectiveness of teaching foundational skills.

In 2024–25 pupils at Fox Hollies School attended 89.8% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 32.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Fox Hollies School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). 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 Fox Hollies School had 8.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

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 Fox Hollies School had 116 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; autistic spectrum disorder; other difficulty or disability.

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 special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Fox Hollies School received £29,953 and spent £31,000 for each of its 116 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £779,000 (£6,718 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Birmingham · Birmingham local authority: places and applications

Fox Hollies School is part of Birmingham Special Schools Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• The Dame Ellen Pinsent School Birmingham
• Baskerville School Birmingham
• Longwill A Primary School for Deaf Children Birmingham
• Hamilton School Birmingham
• The Pines Special School Birmingham

What is Fox Hollies School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fox Hollies School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Fox Hollies School last inspected by Ofsted?

Fox Hollies School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Fox Hollies School have?

Fox Hollies School has 116 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fox Hollies School cover?

Fox Hollies School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

Where is Fox Hollies School?

Fox Hollies School is at Highbury Community Campus, Queensbridge Road, Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands, B13 8QB.