St Laurence Church Infant School
99%
Capacity
267
Pupils
2.0x
Demand
About St Laurence Church Infant School
Parents considering St Laurence Church Infant School will find a school that is clearly in demand. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 179 applications for 88 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.03, meaning more than two families applied for every spot. Of those, 86 families listed it as their first preference, and 86 first-preference offers were made, suggesting that nearly all who put it top got in. While the school does not publish a parent recommendation percentage, the high application numbers alone signal strong local confidence. The school is a Church of England state infant school in Birmingham, catering for children aged 4 to 7, with a capacity of 270 and currently 267 pupils on roll. Just under a quarter of pupils (24.7%) are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average and reflects a genuinely mixed catchment.
Academically, St Laurence holds a Good rating from its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2017, and an ungraded inspection in 2022 confirmed the school remains Good. The breakdown shows Good marks for overall effectiveness, leadership and management, and early years provision. Its previous inspection in 2014 was Outstanding across the board, so the current Good rating represents a step down, but the 2022 ungraded visit found no reason to downgrade further. The school does not publish Key Stage 2 SATs results because it is an infant school — children leave at age 7 before those tests. For context, the Birmingham local authority average for Key Stage 2 attainment is 63%, but this figure applies to junior and primary schools, not infant-only settings. Parents should note that children will need to transfer to a separate junior school after Year 2.
The school offers a strong set of facilities for such a young age group, including a Forest School, an ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, a sports hall, and a chapel. Sports provision includes cross country, rounders, athletics, netball, and swimming, and there are clubs for gardening, book club, and film club. SEND support covers a wide range of needs, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. This breadth of support, combined with the school’s popularity and Church of England character, makes it a strong fit for families who want a community-focused infant school with solid pastoral and academic foundations, especially those who live close enough to secure a place in a competitive admissions round.
Key Details
| School Type | Primary (State) |
| Age Range | 4 to 7 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Church of England |
| Address | Bunbury Road, Birmingham, Birmingham, B31 2DJ |
| Headteacher | Catherine Smith |
| Local Authority | Birmingham |
| Number of Pupils | 267 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 24.7% |
| School Capacity | 267 / 270 (99% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
2 Nov 2022Overall Effectiveness
Good
Latest inspection (2 Nov 2022): School remains Good
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 5 Jul 2017. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
9Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
8Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed88
179
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
86 families put this school as their 1st choice (48% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Below the national average (25%).
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British64.0%
- Mixed11.6%
- Asian4.4%
- Black1.5%
- White (other)0.4%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/25Better than half of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
Half of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
13
Total schools
9
Oversubscribed
8
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About St Laurence Church Infant School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
How to Choose a Primary School
Step-by-step guide to choosing the right primary school
KS2 SATs Explained
A parent's guide to Year 6 SATs and how results are reported
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Contact Information
Bunbury Road, Birmingham
Birmingham, B31 2DJ
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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