Flax Hill Junior Academy

Flax Hill Junior Academy is performing at a strong standard overall, providing a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and valued. The school has a comprehensive curriculum that supports the personal development of students, who demonstrate independence, resilience, and a solid understanding of healthy relationships. The leadership team has established a culture of inclusivity and well-being, effectively identifying and supporting pupils' needs, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as disadvantaged backgrounds. Parents largely express satisfaction with the school's efforts and the care their children receive.

Strengths

• Strong personal development and well-being of pupils
• Effective safeguarding measures in place
• Inclusive culture that values all pupils
• Good progress in reading with strong support for those needing extra help
• Consistent and positive behavior management
• Strong relationships between pupils and staff
• Rich extracurricular opportunities enriching students' development

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in the quality of the curriculum and teaching
• Some pupils struggling with foundational skills in spelling, handwriting, and mathematics
• Evaluation of school priorities not always precise enough for staff

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 Flax Hill Junior Academy attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Flax Hill Junior 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 Flax Hill Junior Academy had 24.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.4% 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, 14.6% of pupils at Flax Hill Junior Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Flax Hill Junior Academy received £6,306 and spent £5,518 for each of its 301 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £625,000 (£2,077 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Mercia Primary Academy Trust, income was £7,171 and spending £6,390 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 Tamworth · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Flax Hill Junior Academy is part of Mercia Primary Academy Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Lark Hall Infant & Nursery Academy Tamworth
• Lakeside Primary School Tamworth

What is Flax Hill Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Flax Hill Junior Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Flax Hill Junior Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Flax Hill Junior Academy was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Flax Hill Junior Academy have?

Flax Hill Junior Academy has 294 pupils on roll.

What age range does Flax Hill Junior Academy cover?

Flax Hill Junior Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Flax Hill Junior Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Flax Hill Junior Academy?

Flax Hill Junior Academy is at Chestnut Avenue, Gillway, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 8QZ.