Yorkmead Junior and Infant School

About Yorkmead Junior and Infant School

Yorkmead Junior and Infant School is a popular choice among Birmingham families, with 32 first-preference applications for its 40 reception places in the 2025/26 admissions round. The school is oversubscribed, receiving 98 total applications for those places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.45. This level of demand suggests a strong local reputation, though the school does not publish a parent-view recommendation percentage. Headteacher Alex Newman-Smith leads a mixed, state primary for children aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision available. The school has capacity for 472 pupils and currently enrols 456, so it is running very close to full. A notable proportion of its intake — 51.4 per cent — is eligible for free school meals, which is significantly above the national average and reflects the school’s inner-city Birmingham context.

Academically, Yorkmead was rated Good in its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2017, and a subsequent ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed that the school remains Good. The inspection gave Good ratings for overall effectiveness, leadership and management, and early years provision. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 55 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is below the Birmingham local authority average of 63 per cent. In individual subjects, 78 per cent met the expected standard in maths, 66 per cent in reading, and 70 per cent in writing. At the higher standard, 23 per cent achieved in maths, 17 per cent in reading, and just 3 per cent in writing. Average scaled scores were 105 in maths and 104 in reading. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 50 per cent of primaries on the combined expected standard metric.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including an ICT suite, sports hall, sensory room, forest school area, and an outdoor playground. Sports provision includes tennis, gymnastics, athletics and football, while clubs cover art, book club, gardening and eco club. SEND support is extensive, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. The school has a chapel on site, which is unusual for a non-religious community school. For families considering Yorkmead, it is a well-subscribed, Good-rated primary serving a diverse, high-FSM community. Its academic results sit below the local average, but the school’s strong SEND offer and wide-ranging facilities may appeal to parents looking for a supportive, inclusive environment.

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