The Orchards Primary Academy
General Information
- Address: Rhayader Road, Northfield, Birmingham, B31 1TX – View on map
- Phone: 01214644302
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mrs Beverley Walker-Gordon
- Age range: 3-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 23 families put it first for 27 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 8 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Does not apply
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 105
- % eligible for free school meals: 55.3%
- Pupil mix: 7 in 10 (similar to the Birmingham average)
- English as an additional language: 24% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 31.2% a year (Birmingham 17.9%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 22% moved to another school, 78% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Birmingham: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 21 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 2
- Suspensions for bullying: 38 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 4 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in Birmingham, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 6.8%
- Persistently absent pupils: 24.9%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 26.3%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.6%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Speech, language and communications needs: 17 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 15 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 13 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
- Physical disability: 1 pupil
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2015 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 71% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 13% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 6 percentage points above the Birmingham average (65%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 59% against an expected 58%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 59%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 74% · Writing 74% · Maths 74% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 81%
- Average test scores: reading 104, maths 103
- Based on: 31 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: joint 86th of 264 junior and primary schools in the area
- =86St Francis Church of England Aided Primary School and Nursery71%
- =86St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth71%
- =86The Orchards Primary Academy71%
- =86Walmley Junior School71%
- =92Audley Primary School70%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
164th of 199 primary schools in Birmingham for Ofsted rating
- #162Tame Valley AcademyGood
- #163The Oaklands Primary SchoolGood
- #164The Orchards Primary AcademyGood
- #165The Oval SchoolGood
- #166The Rosary Catholic Primary SchoolGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £7,508 (2024-25)
90th of 249 primary schools in Birmingham for spending per pupil
- #88Colebourne Primary School£7,540
- #89Woodhouse Primary Academy£7,529
- #90The Orchards Primary Academy£7,508
- #91Oasis Academy Foundry£7,486
- #92Penns Primary School£7,475
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)