Balsall Common Primary School

Balsall Common Primary School is a caring and high-performing primary school where pupils behave exceptionally well and personal development is a standout strength. Pupils understand and model the school’s values, take leadership roles seriously, and benefit from a wide range of opportunities. Staff are dedicated, attendance is high, and pupils with SEND are well supported to access the same learning as their peers. The early years provision gives children a strong start, and pupils are increasingly fluent readers and mathematicians. The curriculum has been recently developed and is now sequenced effectively, raising expectations and helping pupils build knowledge progressively. Leadership is good, with a clear vision and committed staff and trustees, although recent leadership changes and the school’s long period without routine inspection provide important context. This was the first routine inspection since the pandemic, and the school was previously exempt from inspection after being judged outstanding in 2014. There are still areas to improve. In some subjects in key stages 1 and 2, assessment does not check the subject-specific knowledge and skills pupils need, so opportunities to deepen understanding are missed. Some staff do not always deliver the curriculum’s subject-specific content effectively, and staff responsible for improvement actions are not always accurately assessing their impact on pupils’ learning.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate exemplary behaviour and show kindness and respect.
• The school’s values are understood and modelled by pupils and staff.
• Pupils take leadership roles seriously and know their voice matters.
• Staff make learning exciting and pupils are happy and motivated.
• The newly developed curriculum has raised expectations and is sequenced effectively.
• Pupils with SEND are supported well to access the same learning as their peers.
• Pupils are increasingly fluent readers and mathematicians.
• Early years provision gives children a fantastic start, including swimming and outdoor learning.
• Personal development provision is exceptional, including safety, diversity and charity work.
• Attendance is high and few pupils are persistently absent.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff well-being is taken seriously and training opportunities are provided.

Areas for Improvement

• In some key stage 1 and 2 subjects, assessment does not check the subject-specific knowledge and skills pupils need to master.
• Opportunities to deepen pupils’ understanding are missed in some subjects.
• Staff do not always deliver the subject-specific knowledge and skills outlined in the curriculum effectively.
• Not all pupils are supported to become more proficient in some subjects.
• Some staff responsible for school improvement actions are not accurately assessing their impact on pupils’ learning.
• Further support is required for staff delivering school improvement actions and assessing curriculum 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 Balsall Common Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% 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, 0.1% of pupils at Balsall Common Primary School 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 Balsall Common Primary School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.6% 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, 9.8% of pupils at Balsall Common Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 Balsall Common Primary School received £6,730 and spent £6,740 for each of its 640 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £78,000 (£122 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Central Schools Trust, income was £7,209 and spending £7,207 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 Coventry · Solihull local authority: places and applications

Balsall Common Primary School is part of Central Schools Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School Solihull

What is Balsall Common Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Balsall Common Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Balsall Common Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Balsall Common Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Balsall Common Primary School have?

Balsall Common Primary School has 665 pupils on roll.

What age range does Balsall Common Primary School cover?

Balsall Common Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Balsall Common Primary School?

Balsall Common Primary School is at Balsall Street East, Balsall Common, Coventry, West Midlands, CV7 7FS.