Nishkam Primary School Birmingham

Nishkam Primary School Birmingham is an outstanding Sikh multi-faith primary school within Nishkam Schools Trust. Inspectors found all key judgements outstanding: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2015; under current arrangements it does not receive an overall effectiveness grade. The school provides a highly ambitious curriculum and very strong teaching, with staff using effective training and assessment to help pupils build knowledge securely. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well from their starting points. Reading is a priority, early years provision is vibrant and purposeful, and pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are exemplary. Personal development is exceptional, with pupils taking leadership roles, serving the community and gaining a strong understanding of British values, diversity and different faiths. Leadership is highly regarded, governance and trust oversight are strong, and staff morale is high. Parents are well supported and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Inspectors identified no areas of concern in this report.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious curriculum organised to build securely on prior learning
• Teachers have very strong subject knowledge and use highly effective training
• Staff check understanding carefully and give clear feedback that pupils use to improve
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively to achieve exceptionally well
• Reading is a priority and pupils develop a lifelong enjoyment of books
• Phonics support is timely and targeted so pupils become confident readers swiftly
• Pupils have highly positive attitudes to learning and try hard
• Behaviour is exceptional and the school is calm and orderly
• Personal development provision is exceptional and builds responsible citizens
• Pupils understand fundamental British values, diversity and equality
• Early years provision is vibrant, purposeful and well supported by skilled staff
• Leadership, governance and trust oversight are strong and ambitious
• Staff morale is high and staff feel supported with well-being and workload
• Parents are well supported to help their children with learning
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

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 Nishkam Primary School Birmingham attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.7% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Nishkam Primary School Birmingham were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Nishkam Primary School Birmingham had 25.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.2% 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, 16.3% of pupils at Nishkam Primary School Birmingham were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.9% 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 2024–25 Nishkam Primary School Birmingham received £6,700 and spent £6,819 for each of its 423 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £825,000 (£1,950 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Nishkam Schools Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,425 and spending £7,421 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Nishkam Primary School Birmingham is part of Nishkam Schools Multi Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Nishkam High School Birmingham
• Nishkam Primary School Wolverhampton Wolverhampton
• Akaal Primary School Derby
• Primley Wood Primary School Leeds
• Nishkam School West London Osterley

What is Nishkam Primary School Birmingham's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Nishkam Primary School Birmingham is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Nishkam Primary School Birmingham last inspected by Ofsted?

Nishkam Primary School Birmingham was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Nishkam Primary School Birmingham have?

Nishkam Primary School Birmingham has 424 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nishkam Primary School Birmingham cover?

Nishkam Primary School Birmingham for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Nishkam Primary School Birmingham?

Nishkam Primary School Birmingham is at 3-11 Soho Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands, B21 9SN.