Devonshire Infant Academy
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Devonshire Infant Academy is a converter academy in Smethwick for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 346 pupils, 31 more than it has places for. About 26 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 74 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 74% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.
Auckland Road, Smethwick, B67 7AT0121 558 1652devonshireacademies.org.ukMrs Elise Waldron headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 February 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.
Results
No published results yet for this school.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
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 stayed about the same since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 570 m away in 2026, 600 m away in 2025, 1000 m away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 570 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 90 | 108 | 156 | 570 m | LA |
| 2025 Primary | 90 | 113 | 146 | 600 m | LA |
| 2024 Primary | 90 | 92 | 122 | 1000 m | LA |
The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.
What a home within 600 m of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 5 pupils, for autism.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Sandwell with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (39), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Hearing impairment (2), emotional and mental health (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 346 | 349 | 338 | 338 | 346 | 340 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 20% | 21% | 24% | 18% | 20% | 12% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 84% | 82% | 86% | 85% | 86% | 79% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 13% | 11% | 10% | 10% | 9% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 6.0% | 6.0% | 6.9% | 7.4% | 3.9% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.7% | 4.0% | 4.7% | 5.8% | 2.9% | 3.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.3% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 1.7% | 1.0% | 1.4% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 12.7% | 14.4% | 21.8% | 27.0% | 7.5% | 7.7% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devonshire Junior Academy | Academy | 0 m | 349 | Good 2022 | 72 | Compare |
| Crocketts Community Primary School | Council | 680 m | 472 | No overall grade 2025 | 92 | Compare |
| Uplands Manor Primary School and Nursery | Council | 950 m | 734 | Good 2023 | 19 | Compare |
| Galton Valley Primary School | Council | 0.7 miles | 456 | Good 2020 | 77 | Compare |
| Annie Lennard Primary School | Council | 0.8 miles | 229 | No overall grade 2024 | 50 | Compare |
| Rood End Primary School | Council | 0.8 miles | 428 | No overall grade 2024 | 4 | Compare |
| George Betts Primary Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 383 | Good 2024 | 90 | Compare |
| Victoria Park Primary | Academy | 0.8 miles | 604 | Good 2023 | 48 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Devonshire Infant Academy with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 74 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 74% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 48 to 89. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | above | +0.47 | Ofsted grade, 1.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.11 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.06 | 2024/25; 181 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 Devonshire Infant Academy a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Devonshire Infant Academy scores 74 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 74% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 48 to 89, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Devonshire Infant Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Devonshire Infant Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 11 February 2025.
How many pupils does Devonshire Infant Academy have?
346 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 315 places, so it is 110% full.
Is Devonshire Infant Academy oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 570 m away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at Devonshire Infant Academy?
Pupils were in school 94.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Devonshire Infant Academy?
The average class had 24.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 11% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Devonshire Infant Academy have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for autism. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Auckland Road, Smethwick, B67 7AT
- Telephone
- 0121 558 1652
- Website
- www.devonshireacademies.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Elise Waldron
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Victoria Academies Trust (11 schools)
- Local authority
- Sandwell
- Ward
- Smethwick
- Constituency
- Smethwick
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2014 (academy converter)
- URN
- 141293 · LAESTAB 3332125 · UKPRN 10047179
- Formerly
- Devonshire Infant School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Sandwell council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2024, 2025, 2026.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.