School Chooser

Selly Oak Trust School

Special · ages 11-19MixedFoundation special school400 pupilsSixth formBirmingham
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, November 2022
Attendance86.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families65%Far more than most schools
Pupils per teacher8.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll400Census January 2026

Selly Oak Trust School is a foundation special school in Birmingham for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 400 pupils. About 65 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.

Oak Tree Lane, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6HZ0121 472 0876sellyoak.bham.sch.ukMrs Rachel Stopher-Murray headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 16 November 2022 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

GCSE results, summer 2025

61 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.52In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2022/23, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2023
2018: 3.03.020182019: 1.91.920192022: 0.40.420222023: 1.51.52023
Since 2018: -1.5
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018BirminghamEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11615849505653
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 81.50.41.93.047.346.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.52-1.99-1.78-1.57
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%46%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths2%0%0%0%65%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.170.060.230.274.224.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%48%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged2.00.42.02.5
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged1.00.31.55.0
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers1.50.41.62.5

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2017

4 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 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20172016BirminghamEngland
Pupils tested47
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%7%9%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score97.0103.1104.5
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score94.0104.1104.4
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score91.0106.7106.1
Expected level: readingReading expected standard14%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%

A level and sixth-form results, 2016

103 students finished sixth-form courses.

All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure2016
Students103

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.

Pupils on roll400Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families63%65% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English19%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%400 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)69%£220,000 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls279 / 121
White British pupils60%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties.

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 autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (122), Autistic spectrum disorder (113), language and communications needs (101), emotional and mental health (35), Severe learning difficulty (9), Physical disability (7).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll400400404386380385
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals63%59%55%52%52%51%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language19%18%16%17%17%15%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 86.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance86.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school34.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence13.1%11.1%11.5%12.4%24.4%8.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence9.6%8.6%7.9%8.3%20.9%6.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.5%2.5%3.6%4.2%3.5%2.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence34.8%32.6%33.9%38.3%81.9%26.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.54.04.97.16.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions02100

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 49 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training98%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training98%94%95%96%
Education98%94%95%96%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%4%2%2%

Staff and money

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

Teachers47.4full-time equivalent, 50 people
Pupils per teacher8.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers94%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants69.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,149
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.42024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£20,871England £32,258. Total £8.3m
Income per pupil£20,186England £32,367. Total £8.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£15,694England £11,930
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £156k, £390 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£274kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£20,871spent 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 m32912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate95 per 1,000 peopleabout 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Maple House SchoolIndependent390 m89Not inspectedCompare
Fircroft College of Adult EducationFurther education510 mNot inspectedCompare
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England570 m413Good 202288Compare
Bournville Village PrimaryVoluntary610 m652Good 202374Compare
Cherry Oak SchoolCouncil710 m112Good 2024Compare
The University of Birmingham SchoolFree school730 m1,188Good 202345Compare
Raddlebarn Primary SchoolCouncil750 m391Good 202438Compare
Dame Elizabeth Cadbury SchoolAcademy860 m774Good 202341Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Selly Oak Trust School a good school?

Selly Oak Trust School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in November 2022.

What is Selly Oak Trust School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Selly Oak Trust School good at its last full inspection on 16 November 2022.

How many pupils does Selly Oak Trust School have?

400 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026.

What is attendance like at Selly Oak Trust School?

Pupils were in school 86.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 35% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Selly Oak Trust School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Selly Oak Trust 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
Oak Tree Lane, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6HZ
Telephone
0121 472 0876
Website
www.sellyoak.bham.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Rachel Stopher-Murray
Type of school
Foundation special school (Foundation special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Trust
The Real Life 4 Me Trust (1 schools)
Local authority
Birmingham
Ward
Bournville & Cotteridge
Constituency
Birmingham Selly Oak
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
103613 · LAESTAB 3307033 · UKPRN 10018082

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from