School Chooser

The Pines Special School

Special · ages 3-16MixedFoundation special school287 pupilsBirmingham
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance91.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families55%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull287 pupils, 270 places
Pupils per teacher7.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll287Census January 2026

The Pines Special School is a foundation special school in Birmingham for boys and girls aged 3 to 16. It has 287 pupils, 17 more than it has places for. About 55 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.

Marsh Hill, Birmingham, B23 7EY0121 464 6136thepinesspecialschool.comMr Wayne Tulloch headteacherAll details

Ofsted

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

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score4.4
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.35In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, 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
2022 to 2025
2022: 7.77.720222023: 7.47.420232024: 3.83.820242025: 4.44.42025
Since 2022: -3.3
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232022BirminghamEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 1120251515
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 84.43.87.47.747.346.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.35-0.87-1.22
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 maths0%0%0%0%65%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.290.310.670.714.224.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%48%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged5.05.7
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged3.50.4
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers4.07.47.7

Subjects

Results came out for 4 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

What is taught here

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Art and Design11 entries
0%England 58%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Art and Design110%0%0%58%
Food Preparation & Nutrition80%0%0%52%
English Language60%17%17%54%
Mathematics60%0%0%53%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 110%
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 score91.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score99.0
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: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017BirminghamEngland
Pupils tested202023201614
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score91.0101.099.091.099.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score99.098.097.092.0100.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score101.090.0112.0106.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard5%15%4%0%6%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard10%15%0%0%0%7%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-8.3-4.9-7.3-8.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-8.8-6.4-7.8-8.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%0%

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. Every gap at this school is 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 GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
5.03.5
Gap 1.5England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 22 pts

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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.

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 roll287Census January 2026
Places270106% full
Pupils from low-income families55%55% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%287 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)56%£204,000 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls222 / 65
White British pupils31%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, speech, language and communication.

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: Autistic spectrum disorder (253), language and communications needs (22), Severe learning difficulty (6), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll287282280264244212
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals55%54%50%46%45%46%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%21%21%21%23%24%
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 91.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school22.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.6%10.2%9.8%9.3%7.4%5.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.8%7.4%6.9%7.1%6.2%4.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%2.7%2.8%2.2%1.3%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence22.7%25.0%25.2%23.6%18.0%12.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.10.00.01.20.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 15 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%93%
Education100%93%
Apprenticeship0%0%
Work0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%7%

Staff and money

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

Teachers37.8full-time equivalent, 40 people
Pupils per teacher7.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants78.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,086
Teachers who left in the year19%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.42024/25

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£25,584England £32,258. Total £7.2m
Income per pupil£25,809England £32,367. Total £7.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£9,500England £11,930
Money in reserve16%A healthy amount put by: £1.1m, £4,060 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£63kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£25,584spent 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 m90612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate144 per 1,000 people59% 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Stockland Green SchoolAcademy130 m757Good 202334Compare
Marsh Hill Primary SchoolCouncil390 m415Good 202322Compare
Marsh Hill Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school510 m115Outstanding 2024Compare
Brookvale Primary SchoolAcademy580 m205Good 202364Compare
Featherstone Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school860 m111Good 2021Compare
Featherstone Primary SchoolCouncil950 m416Good 202247Compare
Wilson Stuart SchoolAcademy0.6 miles283Not inspectedCompare
The Hive CollegeSpecial post 16 institution0.6 milesNot inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is The Pines Special School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score The Pines Special School yet.

How good are The Pines Special School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 4.4, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How good are The Pines Special 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.

How many pupils does The Pines Special School have?

287 pupils aged 3 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 270 places, so it is 106% full.

What is attendance like at The Pines Special School?

Pupils were in school 91.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does The Pines Special School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, speech, language and communication. 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
Marsh Hill, Birmingham, B23 7EY
Telephone
0121 464 6136
Website
www.thepinesspecialschool.com
Headteacher
Mr Wayne Tulloch
Type of school
Foundation special school (Foundation special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-16
Gender
Mixed
Trust
Birmingham Special Schools Trust (6 schools)
Local authority
Birmingham
Ward
Stockland Green
Constituency
Birmingham Erdington
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 1900 (not recorded)
URN
103622 · LAESTAB 3307045 · UKPRN 10080724

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from