Smith's Wood Academy

Smith's Wood Academy has demonstrated notable progress since its last inspection, particularly in improving attendance and behaviour among pupils. Leaders have effectively created a positive and open culture of safeguarding, ensuring that pupils feel safe and supported. The leadership team, which has undergone significant changes, has set clear goals and is effectively addressing the needs of pupils, especially those facing barriers to learning. However, concerns remain regarding pupils' achievement in national examinations, which continues to lag behind national averages, indicating that not all pupils are reaching their potential despite some evidence of improved progress.

Strengths

• Active and effective safeguarding culture in the school.
• Improved attendance rates due to dedicated leadership efforts.
• Positive behaviour among pupils reflects high expectations.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Effective use of pupil premium funding improving progress for disadvantaged pupils.
• Extensive and regular training for staff to enhance support for pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils’ achievement in national examinations is below the national average.
• Gaps in important knowledge and skills, particularly in writing.
• Inconsistent quality of teaching affecting pupils' learning experiences.
• Incomplete or inaccurate work produced by some pupils.

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 Smith's Wood Academy attended 85.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 43.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 23.0% of pupils at Smith's Wood Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 9 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 Smith's Wood Academy had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 29.0% of pupils at Smith's Wood Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Smith's Wood Academy received £10,549 and spent £9,751 for each of its 746 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £595,000 (£797 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Fairfax Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,601 and spending £8,536 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 · Solihull local authority: places and applications

Smith's Wood Academy is part of Fairfax Multi Academy Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Erdington Academy Birmingham
• Fairfax Sutton Coldfield
• Bournville School Birmingham

What is Smith's Wood Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Smith's Wood Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Smith's Wood Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Smith's Wood Academy was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Smith's Wood Academy have?

Smith's Wood Academy has 697 pupils on roll.

What age range does Smith's Wood Academy cover?

Smith's Wood Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Smith's Wood Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 33.0, and 14% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Smith's Wood Academy?

Smith's Wood Academy is at Windward Way, Smith's Wood, Birmingham, West Midlands, B36 0UE.