Highters Heath Community School

Highters Heath Community School is a small, inclusive primary school in a disadvantaged context, with well-above-average free school meal eligibility and significant location deprivation. Inspectors found it performing well overall: safeguarding standards are met, and leaders, with strong trust support, have driven improvement since the last inspection. Early years is a particular strength, where children get off to a flying start and are well prepared for Year 1.

Strengths

• Reception children get off to a flying start with high expectations and warm family relationships.
• Phonics and early reading are taught consistently well, with books matched to pupils' sounds.
• Pupils behave very well, show respect and learn in calm classrooms.
• Strong pastoral support has improved behaviour and engagement.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve above national averages in key measures.
• Inclusion is effective for pupils with SEND, including specialised Pathway provision.
• Leadership and trust support have driven significant improvement, and staff are positive.
• Personal development promotes diversity, British life, health and safety.
• Attendance is improving due to systematic trust-supported work.
• The curriculum is ambitious and staff receive effective training.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not consistently used to identify when pupils have mastered a skill and are ready for deeper work.
• Pupils' outcomes at the higher standard in national tests are significantly lower than national.
• Attendance and persistent absence remain above national averages, although improving.

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 Highters Heath Community School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.9% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Highters Heath Community 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 Highters Heath Community School had 19.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.3% 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, 16.2% of pupils at Highters Heath Community School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 Highters Heath Community School received £8,697 and spent £9,117 for each of its 169 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £71,000 (£420 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Excelsior Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,873 and spending £6,684 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

Highters Heath Community School is part of Excelsior Multi Academy Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Heath Mount Primary School Birmingham
• Turves Green Primary School Birmingham
• Green Meadow Primary School Birmingham
• The Meadows Primary School Birmingham
• Parkfield Community School Birmingham
• Colmers Farm Primary School Birmingham
• Thorns Primary School Brierley Hill

What is Highters Heath Community School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highters Heath Community School is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Highters Heath Community School last inspected by Ofsted?

Highters Heath Community School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Highters Heath Community School have?

Highters Heath Community School has 167 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highters Heath Community School cover?

Highters Heath Community School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Highters Heath Community School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Highters Heath Community School?

Highters Heath Community School is at Highters Heath Lane, Kings Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands, B14 4LY.