Priestley Smith School
Priestley Smith School is a council special school in Birmingham for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 94 pupils, 4 more than it has places for. About 58 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.
Perry Beeches Campus, Beeches Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, B42 2PY0121 325 3900priestleysmith.comMrs Joanna Garvey headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
5 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 5 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | – | 5.1 | 7.0 | 3.8 | 13.8 | 5.3 | 47.3 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.71 | -1.35 | – | -1.10 | -1.92 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | – | 14% | 0% | 17% | 0% | 0% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | – | 14% | 14% | 17% | 29% | 14% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | – | 0.36 | 0.45 | 0.33 | 1.02 | 0.36 | 4.22 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 48% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 4.9 | 8.2 | – | 10.6 | – | – | – |
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
10 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.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 10 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 3 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | 65% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | 8% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 87.0 | 97.0 | 94.0 | 97.0 | – | – | 105.6 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 89.0 | 88.0 | 91.0 | 90.0 | – | – | 104.9 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 94.0 | 91.0 | 90.0 | 93.0 | – | – | 106.5 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 10% | 22% | 0% | 22% | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 22% | – | – | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | – | -4.9 | – | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | – | -7.7 | – | – | – | – |
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.
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 Birmingham council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with visual impairment.
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 Birmingham with visual impairment provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Vision impairment (86), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), language and communications needs (2), Hearing impairment (1), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Multi-sensory impairment (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 94 | 89 | 84 | 86 | 87 | 89 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 55% | 47% | 44% | 43% | 41% | 43% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 35% | 38% | 35% | 38% | 39% | 43% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.6% 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 | 11.4% | 14.4% | 18.9% | 16.6% | 9.6% | 9.3% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 9.9% | 13.4% | 15.3% | 13.7% | 7.9% | 8.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.5% | 1.0% | 3.7% | 2.9% | 1.7% | 0.6% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 41.8% | 54.3% | 50.0% | 62.9% | 31.3% | 33.9% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 4.5 | 2.4 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 6.7 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 7 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 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 council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beeches Primary School | Council | 0 m | 361 | Good 2023 | 44 | Compare |
| Arena Academy | Academy | 40 m | 969 | No overall grade 2024 | 39 | Compare |
| Perry Beeches Nursery School | Local authority nursery school | 110 m | 69 | Report card 2026 | – | Compare |
| Glenmead Primary School | Council | 540 m | 263 | Good 2022 | 38 | Compare |
| Barr View Primary & Nursery Academy | Academy | 570 m | 441 | Good 2023 | 69 | Compare |
| Calshot Primary School | Council | 680 m | 436 | Good 2023 | 53 | Compare |
| Fortis Academy | Academy | 690 m | 1,210 | Good 2023 | 26 | Compare |
| Greenholm Primary School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 628 | Good 2022 | 55 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Priestley Smith School a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Priestley Smith School yet.
How good are Priestley Smith School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% 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 Priestley Smith School have?
94 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 90 places, so it is 104% full.
What is attendance like at Priestley Smith School?
Pupils were in school 88.6% 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 Priestley Smith School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Priestley Smith School have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Perry Beeches Campus, Beeches Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, B42 2PY
- Telephone
- 0121 325 3900
- Website
- www.priestleysmith.com
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanna Garvey
- Type of school
- Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Ward
- Oscott
- Constituency
- Birmingham Erdington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 103614 · LAESTAB 3307034 · UKPRN 10017081
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
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.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- 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.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- 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.