School Chooser

Clifton Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil871 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubBirmingham
School Chooser Score
60
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 42 to 75
Out of 100. Better than 60% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
Reached the expected level at 1168%England 63%
Attendance92.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families62%Far more than most schools
Places89 spare871 pupils, 960 places
Pupils per teacher18.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll871Census January 2026

Clifton Primary School is a council school in Birmingham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 871 pupils and room for 960. About 62 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 60 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 60% of the 50 schools most like it.

Brunswick Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 8NX0121 464 2926cliftonprimary.bham.sch.ukMrs Nicola Hemming headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1168%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level5%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 50%50%20172018: 53%53%20182019: 63%63%20192023: 56%56%20232024: 60%60%20242025: 68%68%2025
Since 2017: +18%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017BirminghamEngland
Pupils tested11812111812011988
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths68%60%56%63%53%50%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths5%3%2%3%3%2%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0103.0104.0102.0100.099.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0107.0106.0105.0102.0102.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0105.0104.0107.0103.0104.0106.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard73%65%65%67%58%57%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard85%87%83%76%70%66%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)73%65%61%76%71%69%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.5-1.3-0.8-2.1
Maths progressMaths progress score+4.5+1.5+1.2+0.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged67%59%53%54%44%44%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged70%62%60%73%64%63%

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. 3 of the 4 gaps are 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
67%70%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
61%75%
Gap 14 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
69%68%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
4%5%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 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 full826 pupils for 840 places, 2024/25
98% 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 3% 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 roll871Census January 2026
Places96091% full
Pupils from low-income families59%62% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English88%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support22%189 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%16 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.436 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils17%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)56%£711,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls393 / 478
White British pupils1%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.8 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (132), Moderate learning difficulty (28), Autistic spectrum disorder (17), emotional and mental health (12), Vision impairment (6), Hearing impairment (5).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll871897891848874874
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals59%53%48%47%47%40%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language88%89%89%89%89%89%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support28%30%29%39%34%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school21.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.1%6.7%7.8%6.2%5.7%4.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.9%4.5%4.5%3.8%3.6%3.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%2.2%3.2%2.4%2.0%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence21.7%19.3%23.9%17.1%13.2%9.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.60.12.11.60.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers45.6full-time equivalent, 51 people
Pupils per teacher18.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants31.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,364
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.82024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,893England £7,738. Total £6.8m
Income per pupil£7,838England £7,697. Total £6.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,067England £3,480
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £684k, £793 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£47kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,893spent 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 m1,23312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate113 per 1,000 people24% 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
Nelson Mandela SchoolCouncil210 m435Good 202430Compare
Anderton Park Primary SchoolCouncil590 m415Good 202336Compare
Ladypool Primary SchoolCouncil590 m230Good 202352Compare
Conway Primary SchoolAcademy730 m391No overall grade 202422Compare
Ark Tindal Primary AcademyAcademy770 m450Good 202475Compare
Christ Church CofE Controlled Primary School and NurseryChurch of England890 m188Report card 202622Compare
Park Hill Primary SchoolCouncil930 m227Not inspected45Compare
Heath Mount Primary SchoolAcademy940 m290Report card 202641Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Clifton Primary School 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.

Beats60%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 60 is 16 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 44 · 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 Clifton Primary School, 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 MontgomeryAcademy0.7 miles466No overall grade 202496Compare
Parkfield Community SchoolAcademy2.3 miles656Outstanding 202374Compare
Shaw Hill Primary SchoolCouncil2.5 miles474Outstanding 202392Compare
Oasis Academy HobmoorAcademy2.6 miles493Good 202368Compare
Lozells Junior and Infant School and NurseryCouncil3.2 miles458Not inspected73Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 60 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 60% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 42 to 75. 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
-0.03
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 118 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.21
DfE progress measure; 118 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.16
2024/25; 739 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 118 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 Clifton Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Clifton Primary School scores 60 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 60% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 42 to 75, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

How good are Clifton Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 68% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 5% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Clifton Primary School have?

871 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 960 places, so it is 91% full.

Is Clifton Primary School oversubscribed?

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

What is attendance like at Clifton Primary School?

Pupils were in school 92.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Clifton Primary School?

The average class had 23.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 17% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Clifton Primary School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Brunswick Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 8NX
Telephone
0121 464 2926
Website
www.cliftonprimary.bham.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Nicola Hemming
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Birmingham
Ward
Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East
Constituency
Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2005 (result of amalgamation)
URN
134840 · LAESTAB 3303432 · UKPRN 10071745
Formerly
Clifton Junior School, Clifton Infant School

Where these figures come from