Forestdale Primary School

Forestdale Primary School is a small, inclusive primary in a highly deprived area of Birmingham, with a well-above-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and above-average SEN support. Safeguarding standards are met, and inspectors found a welcoming culture where pupils feel safe, behave well and are supported by strong pastoral care. Pupils with SEND generally progress well from their starting points, early reading is taught effectively, and the early years curriculum is clear and well sequenced. However, the school is not yet meeting expected standards in several key areas. Pupils' achievement over time in reading, writing and mathematics is below national averages, including at the end of key stage 2 and in the Year 1 phonics check. Teaching is inconsistent, pupils do not always secure wider curriculum knowledge and skills, attendance and persistent absence remain too high, and early years practice, personal development and wider opportunities need further improvement. Leadership improvements are underway after recent changes, but many actions are at an early stage. Inspectors identified clear next steps: address misconceptions and errors in foundational knowledge, improve teaching consistency and outcomes, tackle absence, widen pupils' character and responsibility opportunities, strengthen early years interactions, and continue raising staff expectations to drive rapid improvement across the school.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive culture helps all pupils feel a sense of belonging.
• Leaders identify pupils' needs and barriers quickly and accurately, including disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND and pupils known to social care.
• High-quality staff training and thoughtful adaptations help pupils access the full curriculum.
• Communication-friendly classrooms support pupils' language development.
• Effective external agency work, including with the virtual school, supports children known to social care.
• Pupils with SEND generally progress well from their starting points.
• Teaching of early reading is effective, with daily phonics sessions helping most pupils become confident readers.
• Pupils' behaviour is typically calm and orderly, with warm and positive relationships.
• Bullying and discrimination are rare and handled quickly and effectively.
• Pastoral care is a strength, with key adults and interventions improving wellbeing, attendance and behaviour.
• Early years has a clear, well-sequenced curriculum and prioritises communication and language.
• Early years relationships are warm and nurturing, children feel safe, and transition to Year 1 is effective.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive safeguarding culture.
• Staff value training, feel well supported, and workload and wellbeing are thoughtfully considered.
• Parents and carers are positive about the school and appreciate the support provided.
• Governors fulfil statutory responsibilities and provide support and challenge.
• Most pupils achieve well in the Year 4 multiplication tables check.
• Every child is taught to play a musical instrument, and some clubs are offered.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not achieve as well as they should over time in reading, writing and mathematics.
• National test outcomes at the end of key stage 2 and the Year 1 phonics screening check are typically below national averages.
• Pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of education as they should be.
• Pupils do not consistently secure important knowledge and skills in the wider curriculum, as reflected in written work.
• Curriculum teaching is inconsistent across the school.
• Staff do not always check how well pupils understand what they are learning.
• Expectations for handwriting and punctuation are variable, and teacher modelling is not always accurate.
• Tasks are sometimes not well matched to pupils' needs, causing some pupils to lose focus.
• Attendance remains below national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Persistent absence is too high.
• Early years provision needs improvement, with variable adult-child interactions.
• Basic skills errors, such as letter formation, are not consistently addressed in early years.
• The outdoor environment does not provide enough opportunities for children to practise learning.
• Leaders' past actions have been slow to take effect, though recent leadership changes are improving pace.
• Governors cannot always clearly demonstrate the impact of pupil premium funding.
• Pupils have a limited understanding of tolerance, the rule of law, world religions and other cultures.
• Wider opportunities for talents, interests, leadership, sport, art and digital technology are limited.
• Leaders do not check participation of SEND pupils or pupil premium pupils in wider opportunities.
• Pupils would like more opportunities to have a voice in school life.
• Improvements to curriculum and early years are at an early stage and have not yet shown impact.

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 Forestdale Primary School attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 31.7% 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, 7.8% of pupils at Forestdale Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 3 pupils were 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 Forestdale Primary School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.7% 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, 28.7% of pupils at Forestdale Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Forestdale Primary School received £9,398 and spent £9,793 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £202,000 (£1,037 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 Forestdale Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Forestdale Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Forestdale Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Forestdale Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Forestdale Primary School have?

Forestdale Primary School has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Forestdale Primary School cover?

Forestdale Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 15% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Forestdale Primary School?

Forestdale Primary School is at Wareham Road, Frankley, Birmingham, West Midlands, B45 0JS.