Topcliffe Primary School

Topcliffe Primary School is a friendly, inclusive and ambitious school. It was graded good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management, with outstanding personal development and early years provision. Safeguarding is effective. The school is part of Washwood Heath multi-academy trust and has two resource bases for pupils with SEND, who are fully included and supported exceptionally well. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and new senior leaders have been appointed since the previous inspection. The school's strengths include highly effective early years provision, strong phonics teaching, good behaviour, and a wide range of personal development opportunities. Pupils feel safe, show respect and tolerance, and benefit from well-organised playtimes and community involvement. Support for pupils with SEND is a notable strength, and parents and staff are highly supportive of the school. Attendance has historically been low, but the school has improved punctuality and is working effectively with families. The main area for improvement is curriculum implementation in some subjects. In these subjects, teacher subject knowledge and activity selection are less effective, so some pupils do not build knowledge over time as well as they could. Published outcomes are lower than expected, although most pupils are working at the standards expected for their age by the time they leave.

Strengths

• HARRI values underpin school life and positively shape pupils
• Pupils generally behave well, feel safe and show respect and tolerance
• Pupils with SEND, including those in the two resource bases, are fully included and supported exceptionally well
• Early years provision is outstanding, with well-planned learning areas and sensitive staff intervention
• Phonics is taught consistently well, with quick support for pupils who need it
• Personal development is outstanding, with wide opportunities, leadership roles and community involvement
• Playtimes are extremely well organised, and staff model respectful relationships
• Leadership and trust collaboration are effective, and staff wellbeing is considered
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent across some subjects
• In less well-considered subjects, teacher subject knowledge and activity selection are less effective
• Some pupils do not build knowledge over time as well as they could
• Attendance has historically been low, though the school is improving punctuality and working with families
• Published outcomes are lower than expected, although most pupils meet expected standards by the time they leave

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 Topcliffe Primary School attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.4% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Topcliffe 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 Topcliffe Primary School had 12.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.8% 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, 14.6% of pupils at Topcliffe Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 25.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 51 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 Topcliffe Primary School received £13,223 and spent £13,133 for each of its 249 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £264,000 (£1,060 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust, income was £9,233 and spending £8,951 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.

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All schools in Birmingham · Birmingham local authority: places and applications

Topcliffe Primary School is part of Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Firs Primary School Birmingham
• Brownmead Primary Academy Birmingham
• Timberley Academy Birmingham
• Washwood Heath Academy Birmingham
• Tile Cross Academy Birmingham
• Gossey Lane Academy Birmingham
• Saltley Academy Birmingham

What is Topcliffe Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Topcliffe Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Topcliffe Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Topcliffe Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Topcliffe Primary School have?

Topcliffe Primary School has 246 pupils on roll.

What age range does Topcliffe Primary School cover?

Topcliffe Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 20% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Topcliffe Primary School?

Topcliffe Primary School is at Hawkinge Drive, Castle Vale, Birmingham, West Midlands, B35 6BS.