Colmers Farm Primary School

About Colmers Farm Primary School

Colmers Farm Primary School sits well below the Birmingham local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, a gap that is hard to ignore when comparing its headline metrics. The school’s proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined stands at 43%, compared with the LA average of 63% for primary schools. That 20-point difference places Colmers Farm in the bottom half of Birmingham primaries, ranked 236th out of 254 schools in the authority. The school’s ranking score of 43 puts it in the bottom 50% nationally too, at the 88th percentile from the bottom. These figures reflect a challenging context: 58% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, and the school is oversubscribed, with 135 applications for 47 places in the 2025/26 admissions round. Despite the academic headwinds, the school has held a Good rating from Ofsted since at least 2014, and its most recent inspection in 2023 found personal development to be Outstanding.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the picture is mixed. In reading, 69% of pupils met the expected standard and 17% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 103. Writing saw 71% at expected and just 5% at the higher level. Maths was weaker: 50% at expected, 16% at higher, and an average score of 101. Only 3% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. However, the Ofsted inspection noted that behaviour and attitudes are Good, and leadership and management are Good, with early years provision also rated Good. The school’s previous inspection in 2014 also awarded an overall Good, suggesting consistent leadership under headteacher David Williams, who has maintained a stable rating over nearly a decade.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a forest school, sensory room, art studios, gymnasium and playing fields, alongside clubs such as drama, art, eco club and choir. Sports include athletics, cross country, swimming and tennis. For families with children who have special educational needs, the school lists provisions for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 21 families in the 2024/25 period are overwhelmingly positive: 100% would recommend the school, and 100% strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy and feels safe. The school is oversubscribed, with 40 first-preference offers made from 40 first-preference applications, so families applying from outside the catchment will need to consider the high demand. This is a school that serves a high-poverty community with warmth and strong pastoral care, but whose academic results lag behind the local average.

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