James Brindley School
Bell Barn Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2AF
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THINK DIFFERENTLY EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Hardip Bissell
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Birmingham Ladywood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 557
- Pupils on roll
- 104
- URN
- 139526
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01216666409
About this school
James Brindley School is a special academy in Birmingham. It teaches children aged 2 to 19 and has 104 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected James Brindley 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 June 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How James Brindley 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 20.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 25.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 31.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 138 |
| 2023/24 | 137 |
| 2024/25 | 120 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 59.63%
- English as an additional language
- 2.5%
- Overall absence
- 31.11%
- Persistent absence
- 74.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
West House School0.2 miles
Independent schools · Birmingham
-
St George's School Edgbaston0.6 miles
Independent schools · West Midlands
-
Mander Portman Woodward Independent College0.6 miles
Independent schools · Birmingham
-
Priory School0.7 miles
Independent schools
-
Hopwood Hall School0.7 miles
Special schools
Other schools in Birmingham
- Baskerville School Special schools
- Beaufort School Special schools
- Beaufort School Academies
- Braidwood School for the Deaf Special schools
- Brays School Academies
- Calthorpe Academy Academies
- Castlewood School Academies
- Cherry Oak School Special schools
- City of Birmingham School Local authority maintained schools
- East Birmingham Network Academy Free Schools
- Ebn Academy 2 Free Schools
- Everything Education School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does James Brindley School teach?
- James Brindley School teaches children aged 2 to 19. It is a special school in Birmingham.
- Who is the headteacher of James Brindley School?
- The headteacher of James Brindley School is Mr Hardip Bissell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has James Brindley School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected James Brindley 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 James Brindley School?
- James Brindley School has 104 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 19.
- Is James Brindley School full?
- James Brindley School has capacity for 557 pupils and 104 on roll (19%), 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 James Brindley School a faith school?
- No. James Brindley School has no designated religious character.
- Is James Brindley School part of an academy trust?
- James Brindley School is part of THINK DIFFERENTLY EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is James Brindley School's absence rate?
- James Brindley School's overall absence rate is 31.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does James Brindley School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for James Brindley School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 1 July 2026.