Cromwell Junior and Infant School

Cromwell Junior and Infant School is a vibrant, welcoming primary where pupils feel safe, attend regularly and achieve exceptionally well. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection; it is an academy converter in the two-school Cromwell Learning Community trust. Inspectors found an expertly crafted curriculum, strong early years practice, prioritised reading and effective support for pupils with SEND, who achieve exceptionally well alongside their peers. Behaviour is excellent, pupils are resilient and positive, and leadership, governance and staff development are strong. Personal development is a relative area for improvement rather than a significant weakness. The school develops pupils’ character well and gives them useful responsibilities, but not all protected characteristics are taught with equal depth, which limits pupils’ understanding of different families and relationships. Recent trip opportunities have been more limited than leaders would like, and the report asks the school to widen pupils’ experiences beyond the local area and ensure they learn about places near and far and different lifestyles, so they are better prepared for life in modern Britain. Safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, attend regularly and achieve exceptionally well.
• Behaviour is excellent, with pupils showing respect, resilience and positive attitudes to learning.
• The curriculum is expertly crafted and builds pupils’ knowledge well over time.
• Early years staff develop children’s vocabulary and foundational skills highly effectively.
• Reading is prioritised, and phonics is delivered well with timely support for pupils who fall behind.
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and supported to achieve exceptionally well alongside their peers.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and check understanding during lessons.
• Leaders, trustees and staff work together effectively to remove barriers to achievement.
• Staff receive ongoing support and training without harming workload or well-being.
• Pupils benefit from character development, responsibilities and enrichment such as school animals and the garden.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Not all protected characteristics are taught with equal depth, limiting pupils’ understanding of different families and relationships.
• Recent opportunities for educational trips have been limited, reducing enrichment.
• Pupils need wider experiences beyond the local area, including learning about places near and far and different lifestyles.

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 Cromwell Junior and Infant School attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.4% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Cromwell Junior 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 Cromwell Junior and Infant School had 23.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.7% 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, 17.6% of pupils at Cromwell Junior and Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% 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 Cromwell Junior and Infant School received £8,360 and spent £7,783 for each of its 228 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £88,000 (£387 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Cromwell Learning Community Academy Trust, income was £8,060 and spending £7,765 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 Birmingham · Birmingham local authority: places and applications

Cromwell Junior and Infant School is part of Cromwell Learning Community Academy Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Bordesley Village Primary School Birmingham

What is Cromwell Junior and Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cromwell Junior and Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Cromwell Junior and Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cromwell Junior and Infant School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Cromwell Junior and Infant School have?

Cromwell Junior and Infant School has 238 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cromwell Junior and Infant School cover?

Cromwell Junior and Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Cromwell Junior and Infant School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 97% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cromwell Junior and Infant School?

Cromwell Junior and Infant School is at Cromwell Street, Nechells, Birmingham, West Midlands, B7 5BA.