The Oval School
Whittington Oval, Yardley, Birmingham, B33 8JG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- DRB IGNITE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Dawn Williams
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- drb Ignite Limited
- Constituency
- Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 708
- Pupils on roll
- 639
- URN
- 143087
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01214643248
About this school
The Oval School is a primary academy in Birmingham. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 639 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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.
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 | 94 | 88 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 67% | 65% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 13% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 76% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 79% | 76% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 78% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.10 | - | - |
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 The Oval 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 | 64% | 55.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 65% | 60.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 655 |
| 2023/24 | 657 |
| 2024/25 | 645 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Oval School compares
The Oval School ranked 138th of 266 primary schools in Birmingham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 65% | 7% | 65.6% | 639 | — |
| Lift Lea Forest | 84% | 5.2% | 70.3% | 536 | 0.5 miles |
| Audley Primary School | 70% | 7.7% | 62.1% | 874 | 0.5 miles |
| Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School | 75% | 5.9% | 58.6% | 385 | 0.7 miles |
| Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infants | — | 4.8% | 51% | 246 | 0.7 miles |
| Stechford Primary School | 58% | 7.1% | 48.1% | 417 | 0.7 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)
- 65.56%
- English as an additional language
- 36.3%
- Overall absence
- 7.02%
- Persistent absence
- 22.98%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lift Lea Forest0.5 miles
Primary · Birmingham
-
Audley Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Birmingham
-
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Birmingham
-
Oasis Academy Blakenhale Infants0.7 miles
Primary · Birmingham
-
Stechford Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Birmingham
Other schools in Birmingham
The Oval School ranks 139th 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 year groups does The Oval School teach?
- The Oval School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Birmingham.
- Who is the headteacher of The Oval School?
- The headteacher of The Oval School is Mrs Dawn Williams, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Oval School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Oval 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 big is The Oval School?
- The Oval School has 639 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is The Oval School full?
- The Oval School has capacity for 708 pupils and 639 on roll (90%), 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 The Oval School a faith school?
- No. The Oval School has no designated religious character.
- Does The Oval School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Oval School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs The Oval School?
- The Oval School is part of DRB IGNITE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Oval School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 65% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Oval School rank locally?
- The Oval School ranked 138th of 266 primary schools in Birmingham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Oval School's absence rate?
- The Oval School's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Oval School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Oval 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 2 July 2026.