Fordbridge Community Primary School

Fordbridge Community Primary School is performing strongly overall. It provides a broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum, and staff have strong subject knowledge and consistently high expectations. Reading is prioritised from Reception, oracy and vocabulary are emphasised, and pupils produce high-quality work and build knowledge over time. Inclusion is a particular strength: pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are identified quickly, supported well and access the full curriculum and wider opportunities. Leadership and governance are ambitious and strategic, with robust improvement planning, effective professional development and strong challenge from trustees. Personal development is extensive, including a strong careers programme, many clubs and pupil leadership roles, and pupils’ behaviour is highly positive and respectful. Safeguarding standards are met. There are still areas for further development. Achievement is not yet consistently reflected in published outcomes over time across all subjects, and higher-standard attainment in key stage 2 mathematics is a specific focus. Attendance is improving but remains a priority, with improvements not yet consistent for all pupils and groups, including the most vulnerable. In the early years, language-learning interactions are mostly strong but not always consistently maximised. The school is part of the Prosper Together Trust and serves a large pupil population with above-average disadvantage and SEN support; leaders’ work to remove barriers is having a positive impact.

Strengths

• Broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that builds pupils’ knowledge step by step
• Strong focus on reading, writing, mathematics, vocabulary, oracy and speaking and listening
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and deliver consistently high-quality, engaging lessons
• Highly inclusive culture with effective, tailored support for pupils with SEND
• Disadvantaged pupils, young carers and vulnerable pupils are identified and supported effectively and achieve well
• Ambitious, strategic leadership with clear improvement planning and meticulous monitoring
• Strong governance and trust oversight provide effective challenge and support
• High-quality professional development, coaching and mentoring build consistent practice and support staff wellbeing
• Extensive personal development offer, including clubs, enrichment, pupil leadership roles and a strong careers programme
• Pupils’ behaviour is highly positive, respectful and calm, and bullying is extremely rare
• Early years provides a positive start, prioritises personal, social and emotional development, reading and phonics, and creates a calm environment
• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open culture of safeguarding

Areas for Improvement

• Published outcomes are not consistently above average over time across all subjects
• Higher-standard attainment in key stage 2 mathematics is an identified focus
• Attendance is improving but not yet consistently strong for all pupils and groups, including the most vulnerable
• Early years language-learning interactions are not always consistently maximised

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 Fordbridge Community Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.3% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Fordbridge Community 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 Fordbridge Community Primary School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.6% 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, 22.6% of pupils at Fordbridge Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Fordbridge Community Primary School received £8,109 and spent £7,854 for each of its 503 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,590,000 (£3,162 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Prosper Together Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,576 and spending £7,319 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

Fordbridge Community Primary School is part of Prosper Together Multi Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Kingshurst Primary School Birmingham
• Windy Arbor Primary School Birmingham
• Castle Bromwich Junior School Birmingham
• Castle Bromwich Infant and Nursery School Birmingham

What is Fordbridge Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fordbridge Community Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Fordbridge Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Fordbridge Community Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Fordbridge Community Primary School have?

Fordbridge Community Primary School has 522 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fordbridge Community Primary School cover?

Fordbridge Community Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Fordbridge Community Primary School?

Fordbridge Community Primary School is at Crabtree Drive, Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, West Midlands, B37 5BU.