School Chooser

Phoenix Academy

Special · ages 5-11MixedAcademy50 pupils Free breakfast clubWalsall
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, November 2022
Reached the expected level at 116%England 63%
Attendance87.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families78%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull50 pupils, 49 places
Pupils per teacher6.0School workforce census

Phoenix Academy is a special academy in Walsall for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 50 pupils, 1 more than it has places for. About 78 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Odell Road, Leamore, Walsall, WS3 2ED01922 712834phoenix.attrust.org.ukMiss Elyse Phillips acting headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 November 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
0
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
25 September 2019UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

17 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 116%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score95.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score90.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 6%6%2025
Since 2017: +6%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017†WalsallEngland
Pupils tested17141481013
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths6%0%0%0%0%0%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score95.095.098.099.096.097.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score90.085.089.091.094.092.0104.3104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score95.089.091.097.096.096.0105.7105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard29%14%21%25%30%23%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard12%0%0%0%10%15%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)6%0%14%25%10%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-4.9-5.8+2.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-9.9-7.4-3.1

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.

† These results are for Phoenix Primary EBD School, the school this one replaced in December 2016. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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 Walsall council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll50Census January 2026
Places49102% full
Pupils from low-income families78%78% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%50 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)74%£55,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls42 / 8
White British pupils70%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health.

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 Walsall with social, emotional and mental health provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (47), language and communications needs (2), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll504847393939
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals78%73%70%67%64%59%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%8%9%3%3%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%5%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%95%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 87.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance87.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school42.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils20.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission4.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence12.7%10.9%10.5%7.4%13.0%9.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence8.1%7.0%5.4%6.2%11.9%6.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence4.6%3.9%5.1%1.2%1.1%3.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence42.3%36.2%21.4%31.7%53.7%24.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate20.872.366.720.518.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00100

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.3full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher6.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers78%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,680
Teachers who left in the year23%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.92024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£30,458England £30,720. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£35,604England £33,526. Total £1.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£13,708England £11,966
Money in reserve1%Very little put by: £8,529, £178 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£247kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£30,458spent 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 m45012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate109 per 1,000 people20% higher than the England average
Typical house price£221,288Walsall

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

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Castle SchoolCouncil130 m247No overall grade 2025Compare
Leamore Primary SchoolCouncil360 m236Report card 202545Compare
Field Road AcademyAcademy620 m214Good 2022Compare
Christ Church Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy630 m459Good 202346Compare
Sunshine AcademyAcademy650 m150Good 2021Compare
Mary Elliot AcademyAcademy950 m148Report card 2026Compare
Sandbank Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school970 m164Outstanding 2023Compare
Bloxwich AcademyAcademy990 m1,383Report card 20264Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Phoenix Academy a good school?

Phoenix Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in November 2022.

What is Phoenix Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Phoenix Academy good at its last full inspection on 22 November 2022.

How good are Phoenix Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 6% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Phoenix Academy have?

50 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 49 places, so it is 102% full.

What is attendance like at Phoenix Academy?

Pupils were in school 87.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 42% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Phoenix Academy have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Phoenix Academy 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
Odell Road, Leamore, Walsall, WS3 2ED
Telephone
01922 712834
Website
www.phoenix.attrust.org.uk
Acting Headteacher
Miss Elyse Phillips
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
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Academy Transformation Trust (20 schools)
Local authority
Walsall
Ward
Birchills Leamore
Constituency
Walsall and Bloxwich
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2016 (academy converter)
URN
143382 · LAESTAB 3357013 · UKPRN 10057653
Formerly
Phoenix Primary EBD School

Where these figures come from