Holyoakes Field First School

Holyoakes Field First School is a caring, ambitious first school where pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), flourish. Inspectors found strong behaviour, a calm and orderly environment, effective safeguarding and a well-developed personal development offer. Reading has been strengthened and pupils become fluent readers, while pupils with SEND are identified and supported effectively. Early years provision is a particular strength, with children settling quickly and being very well prepared for Year 1. The curriculum is generally ambitious and logically sequenced, and staff have strong subject knowledge and adapt teaching well. However, in a small number of subjects, the precise knowledge and skills pupils should learn are not clearly identified, so pupils do not learn as well as they could. Some subject leaders also lack the skills and oversight needed to improve their areas effectively. Leaders and the trust understand these priorities and have already addressed previous improvement points. This was a graded inspection under the current framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was given; the school is part of the Bordesley Multi-Academy Trust.

Strengths

• A nurturing culture with high expectations for every pupil
• Strong pupil behaviour and regular attendance
• An effective reading curriculum with consistent phonics teaching
• Quick support for pupils who need extra reading help
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Strong subject knowledge and well-adapted teaching
• Excellent early years provision with quick settling and skilful language modelling
• Strong personal development and preparation for pupils’ next steps
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Trust and governors understand the school’s strengths and improvement priorities
• Staff speak highly of support for their well-being and workload

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum in a few subjects lacks precise key knowledge and sequencing
• Some subject leaders lack the expertise and oversight to improve their curriculums effectively

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 Holyoakes Field First School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.5% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Holyoakes Field First 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 Holyoakes Field First School had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.8% 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, 22.9% of pupils at Holyoakes Field First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Holyoakes Field First School received £6,473 and spent £6,116 for each of its 321 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £292,000 (£910 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Bordesley Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,694 and spending £7,424 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 Redditch · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

Holyoakes Field First School is part of Bordesley Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Birchensale Middle School Redditch
• Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre Redditch
• Woodfield Academy Redditch

What is Holyoakes Field First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holyoakes Field First School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Holyoakes Field First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holyoakes Field First School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Holyoakes Field First School have?

Holyoakes Field First School has 315 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holyoakes Field First School cover?

Holyoakes Field First School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Holyoakes Field First School?

Holyoakes Field First School is at Cookridge Close, Redditch, Worcestershire, B97 6HF.