William Murdoch Primary School
Antrobus Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, B21 9NT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Mangal Singh
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Birmingham Perry Barr
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 674
- Pupils on roll
- 591
- URN
- 103317
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01215540999
About this school
William Murdoch Primary School is a community primary school in Birmingham. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 591 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected William Murdoch Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 88 | 86 | 85 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 66% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 83% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 90% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 81% | 81% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +5.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How William Murdoch Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Birmingham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 66% | 55.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 60.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 631 |
| 2023/24 | 634 |
| 2024/25 | 640 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How William Murdoch Primary School compares
William Murdoch Primary School ranked 117th of 266 primary schools in Birmingham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 5.5% | 49.5% | 591 | — |
| Rookery School | 53% | 5.1% | 56.2% | 453 | 0.2 miles |
| Grove School | 53% | 6.2% | 56% | 606 | 0.3 miles |
| St Augustine's Catholic Primary School | — | — | — | 221 | 0.5 miles |
| St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth | 71% | 7.7% | 48.3% | 409 | 0.5 miles |
| Oasis Academy Boulton | 67% | 6% | 64.5% | 222 | 0.5 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 49.48%
- English as an additional language
- 74.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.52%
- Persistent absence
- 13.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rookery School0.2 miles
Primary · Birmingham
-
Grove School0.3 miles
Primary · Birmingham
-
St Augustine's Catholic Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Birmingham
-
St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth0.5 miles
Primary · Birmingham
-
Oasis Academy Boulton0.5 miles
Primary · Birmingham
Other schools in Birmingham
William Murdoch Primary School ranks 117th of the 273 ranked primary schools in Birmingham.
- Abbey Catholic Primary School Primary
- Acocks Green Primary School Primary
- Adderley Primary School Primary
- Al-Furqan Primary School Primary
- Albert Bradbeer Primary Academy Primary
- Allens Croft Primary School Primary
- Alston Primary School Primary
- Anderton Park Primary School Primary
- Anglesey Primary School Primary
- Arden Primary School Primary
- Ark Tindal Primary Academy Primary
- Aston Tower Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does William Murdoch Primary School teach?
- William Murdoch Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Birmingham.
- Who is the headteacher of William Murdoch Primary School?
- The headteacher of William Murdoch Primary School is Mr Mangal Singh, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has William Murdoch Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected William Murdoch Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at William Murdoch Primary School?
- William Murdoch Primary School has 591 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is William Murdoch Primary School full?
- William Murdoch Primary School has capacity for 674 pupils and 591 on roll (88%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is William Murdoch Primary School a faith school?
- No. William Murdoch Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does William Murdoch Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records William Murdoch Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have William Murdoch Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 68% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does William Murdoch Primary School compare with other schools in Birmingham?
- William Murdoch Primary School ranked 117th of 266 primary schools in Birmingham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is William Murdoch Primary School's absence rate?
- William Murdoch Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are William Murdoch Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, William Murdoch Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.