Matchborough First School Academy

Matchborough First School Academy has made significant progress since its last inspection, improving its grade from Requires Improvement to Good across all key areas. The school offers a supportive and inclusive environment where pupils thrive academically and socially. Parents appreciate the positive relationships that staff build with their children, contributing to a safe and nurturing atmosphere. The school has a clear commitment to ensuring that all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive the support they need to succeed.

Strengths

• Pupils show respect and care for one another, fostering a positive school community.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, promoting a love of learning.
• Strong emphasis on reading, with effective phonics instruction beginning in early years.
• High-quality interactions in early years that promote effective language and communication skills.
• Pupils take pride in their achievements and enjoy a variety of extracurricular opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils struggle to identify key knowledge due to inconsistencies in curriculum delivery.
• Attendance issues persist, with too many pupils remaining persistently absent.
• Governance lacks clarity in roles and responsibilities, affecting oversight.

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 Matchborough First School Academy attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.3% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Matchborough First School Academy 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 Matchborough First School Academy had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.9% 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, 20.9% of pupils at Matchborough First School Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 11 pupils.

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 Matchborough First School Academy received £6,732 and spent £7,394 for each of its 357 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £101,000 (£283 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of Central Region Schools Trust, income was £7,890 and spending £7,931 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 Redditch · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

Matchborough First School Academy is part of Central Region Schools Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Arrow Vale High School Redditch
• Ipsley CofE Middle School Redditch
• Arrow Valley First School Redditch
• Oak Hill First School Redditch
• Church Hill Middle School Redditch
• Abbeywood First School Redditch
• St Stephen's CofE First School Redditch
• Waseley Hills High School Birmingham
• Holyhead School Birmingham
• Oldbury Park Primary School Worcester

What is Matchborough First School Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Matchborough First School Academy is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Matchborough First School Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Matchborough First School Academy was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Matchborough First School Academy have?

Matchborough First School Academy has 335 pupils on roll.

What age range does Matchborough First School Academy cover?

Matchborough First School Academy for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Matchborough First School Academy?

Matchborough First School Academy is at Matchborough Way, Matchborough East, Redditch, Worcestershire, B98 0GD.