Devonshire Junior Academy

Devonshire Junior Academy is a highly inclusive and caring school where pupils feel known, valued and safe. Inspectors found strong practice in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils behave extremely well, attendance is above the national average, persistent absence is low, and the school provides a wide range of enrichment opportunities. The school serves a disadvantaged community and includes a resourced provision for up to 10 pupils with autism; leaders know pupils and families well and provide effective support for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and pupils known to social care. Achievement and curriculum/teaching are solid rather than outstanding. Despite often below-average starting points, pupils achieve broadly in line with or above national averages by the time they leave, including in mathematics, and disadvantaged pupils perform well compared with national disadvantaged pupils. The curriculum is broad, balanced and well sequenced, and staff adapt teaching effectively for pupils' needs. The main area for improvement is that staff do not consistently reinforce pupils' accurate handwriting, spelling and punctuation across the curriculum. Safeguarding standards are met. The school is part of Victoria Academies Trust, and trustees and governors are strategic and well informed. Leaders have created a positive staff culture with effective support for wellbeing, workload and professional development, and parents speak positively about the school's inclusive and supportive approach.

Strengths

• Attendance is above the national average and persistent absence is low.
• Behaviour is extremely positive, with calm classrooms and respectful, responsible pupils.
• The school has a highly inclusive culture that ensures all pupils can access the full curriculum.
• Leaders and staff know pupils and families well and provide timely, effective support.
• Personal development and wellbeing are a strength, with extensive enrichment opportunities.
• Leadership, governance and trust oversight are effective, strategic and well informed.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, including above national averages in mathematics.
• Pupils with SEND generally achieve well from their starting points.
• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe and supported.
• Staff benefit from a positive culture, effective professional development and strong support for wellbeing and workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Staff do not consistently reinforce pupils' accurate handwriting, spelling and punctuation across the curriculum.

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 Devonshire Junior Academy attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.9% 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 Devonshire 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 Devonshire Junior Academy had 23.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.8% 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, 14.3% of pupils at Devonshire Junior Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision 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 Devonshire Junior Academy received £7,518 and spent £6,782 for each of its 357 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £257,000 (£719 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Victoria Academies Trust, income was £7,711 and spending £7,574 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 Smethwick · Sandwell local authority: places and applications

Devonshire Junior Academy is part of Victoria Academies Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Devonshire Infant Academy Smethwick
• Victoria Park Primary Smethwick
• Elm Tree Primary Academy Wednesbury
• Northfield Manor Primary Academy Birmingham
• Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy Walsall
• Fibbersley Park Academy Willenhall
• Foley Park Primary Academy Kidderminster
• Birchen Coppice Academy Kidderminster
• Poppyfield Primary Academy Cannock
• Rowley Park Primary Academy Stafford

What is Devonshire Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Devonshire Junior Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Devonshire Junior Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Devonshire Junior Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Devonshire Junior Academy have?

Devonshire Junior Academy has 349 pupils on roll.

What age range does Devonshire Junior Academy cover?

Devonshire Junior Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Devonshire Junior Academy?

Devonshire Junior Academy is at Auckland Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, B67 7AT.