SCHOOL PROFILE

The Oval School

Primary Academy converter URN 143087
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 708 Published school capacity
Capacity used 90.3% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

16 October 2024
Latest published outcome Standards maintained
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Birmingham
Trust DRB IGNITE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 639 589 full-time · 50 part-time
Female pupils 300 46.9% of pupils
Male pupils 339 53.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

64.8%
40.0 pts above England
School 64.8%
Birmingham 45.4%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

39.9%
19.6 pts above England
School 39.9%
Birmingham 38.9%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.3%
0.7 pts below England
School 0.3%
Birmingham 0.5%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

Pakistani
44.0%
281
White British
14.6%
93
Any other Asian background
8.8%
56
Any other ethnic group
6.6%
42
African
4.4%
28
Any other Mixed background
3.0%
19
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 19.6% 125 of 639 pupils
1.3 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 19.6%
Birmingham 20.7%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 17.8% 114 pupils
England 14.8% 3.1 pts above
EHC plans 1.7% 11 pupils
England 6.0% 4.3 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 38
Speech, language & communication 35
Moderate learning difficulty 29
Autistic spectrum disorder 19
Physical disability 3
Vision impairment 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

65.0% 4.6 pts above England
School 65.0%
Birmingham 60.3%
West Midlands 60.0%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

75.0%

1.2 pts above England

School 75.0%
Birmingham 72.2%
West Midlands 73.0%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

76.0%

5.7 pts above England

School 76.0%
Birmingham 68.9%
West Midlands 69.9%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

76.0%

4.0 pts above England

School 76.0%
Birmingham 71.3%
West Midlands 71.4%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.02%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.81 pts higher than England
School 7.02%
Birmingham 7.01%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

22.98%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

7.16 pts higher than England
School 22.98%
Birmingham 20.05%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.10%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.70 pts lower than England
School 1.10%
Birmingham 2.18%
West Midlands 1.82%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

90.3% 2.1 pts above England
The Oval School
90.3%
Birmingham
91.3%
West Midlands
91.3%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information