School Chooser

Ark Tindal Primary Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy450 pupilsNurseryBirmingham
School Chooser Score
75
Above
similar schools
Likely range 57 to 86
Out of 100. Better than 82% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, March 2024
Reached the expected level at 1178%England 63%
Attendance95.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families58%Far more than most schools
Places9 spare450 pupils, 459 places
Pupils per teacher24.8School workforce census

Ark Tindal Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in Birmingham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 450 pupils and room for 459. About 58 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 75 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 82% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Tindal Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 9QS0121 464 3049arktindalprimary.orgMiss Hayley Francis head of schoolAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 6 March 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

54 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1178%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level11%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 59%59%20172018: 72%72%20182019: 77%77%20192023: 75%75%20232024: 79%79%20242025: 78%78%2025
Since 2017: +19%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017BirminghamEngland
Pupils tested545655565756
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths78%79%75%77%72%59%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths11%7%11%9%12%11%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0107.0105.0105.0105.0103.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0107.0106.0105.0105.0104.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0105.0105.0103.0106.0106.0106.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard78%89%75%80%79%64%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard80%79%85%86%84%71%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)78%79%84%80%86%86%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.1+1.8+3.7+3.6
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.5+0.3+3.9+3.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged76%72%67%79%69%62%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged81%88%84%75%76%53%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
76%81%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
78%77%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
77%78%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
11%11%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full415 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have grown by 5% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Birmingham council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll450Census January 2026
Places45998% full
Pupils from low-income families58%58% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English89%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%64 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size30.611 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils27%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)60%£395,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls221 / 229
White British pupils2%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.2 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (34), Moderate learning difficulty (18), emotional and mental health (11), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Hearing impairment (2), Vision impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll450459441446440414
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals58%56%45%44%41%41%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language89%78%80%77%77%77%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%15%13%13%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%0%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.9%4.8%6.0%5.9%5.3%4.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.4%3.4%4.3%4.4%2.7%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.4%1.7%1.6%2.6%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.3%11.6%17.9%16.6%17.2%13.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.21.11.60.70.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00100

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers18.0full-time equivalent, 18 people
Pupils per teacher24.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers94%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,811
Teachers who left in the year33%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.92024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,033England £7,128. Total £3.2m
Income per pupil£7,167England £7,587. Total £3.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,423England £3,405
Money in reserve20%A healthy amount put by: £643k, £1,417 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£61kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,033spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1,05612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate137 per 1,000 people50% higher than the England average
Typical house price£235,000Birmingham

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Park Hill Primary SchoolCouncil470 m227Not inspected45Compare
Heath Mount Primary SchoolAcademy580 m290Report card 202641Compare
SS John and Monica Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic620 m199Good 202375Compare
Clifton Primary SchoolCouncil770 m871Not inspected60Compare
St Martin de Porres Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic940 m202Report card 202641Compare
Nelson Mandela SchoolCouncil970 m435Good 202430Compare
Lift Percy ShurmerAcademy0.6 miles459Outstanding 202398Compare
Anderton Park Primary SchoolCouncil0.6 miles415Good 202336Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Ark Tindal Primary Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats82%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 75 is 35 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 39 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Ark Tindal Primary Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Lift MontgomeryAcademy1.1 miles466No overall grade 202496Compare
Shaw Hill Primary SchoolCouncil2.9 miles474Outstanding 202392Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 75 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 75% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 57 to 86. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.07
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 54 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.08
DfE progress measure; 54 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.03
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
0.00
2024/25; 377 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.13
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 54 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Ark Tindal Primary Academy a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Ark Tindal Primary Academy scores 75 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 82% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 57 to 86, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Ark Tindal Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Ark Tindal Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 6 March 2024.

How good are Ark Tindal Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 78% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 11% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Ark Tindal Primary Academy have?

450 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 459 places, so it is 98% full.

Is Ark Tindal Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Ark Tindal Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 95.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Ark Tindal Primary Academy?

The average class had 30.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 27% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Tindal Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 9QS
Telephone
0121 464 3049
Website
www.arktindalprimary.org
Head of School
Miss Hayley Francis
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
ARK Schools (48 schools)
Local authority
Birmingham
Ward
Balsall Heath West
Constituency
Birmingham Ladywood
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2012 (new provision)
URN
138397 · LAESTAB 3302056 · UKPRN 10038362
Formerly
Tindal Junior and Infant School

Where these figures come from