Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School

Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School continues to demonstrate effective performance, maintaining the high standards identified in its last inspection. The school fosters an inclusive environment where pupils are happy, safe, and eager to learn, consistently showcasing its core values of SPARKS. With commendable support systems for both pupils and staff, the school cultivates a rich educational experience reinforced by strong community and parental involvement. Overall, this is a positive setting for early education, with effective leadership contributing to sustained quality in teaching and learning.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, excited to learn, and feel safe at school.
• The school has developed an ambitious curriculum from Reception to Year 2.
• Effective phonics teaching helps promote a love of reading among pupils.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Extensive opportunities for personal development and extra-curricular activities.
• Positive staff morale with effective leadership support.
• Engagement with parents and the community is strong and proactive.

Areas for Improvement

• Some curriculum areas lack effective sequencing, hindering progressive learning for children starting at age two.

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 Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.0% 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, 3.7% of pupils at Damson Wood Nursery and Infant 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 Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School had 26.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 50.0% 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, 12.3% of pupils at Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School received £9,817 and spent £9,750 for each of its 118 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £14,000 (£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 Solihull · Solihull local authority: places and applications

Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School is part of Central Schools Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Balsall Common Primary School Coventry

What is Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School have?

Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School has 122 pupils on roll.

What age range does Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School cover?

Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School?

Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School is at Stockwell Rise, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 9LX.