Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up High Demand emoji_events #25 in Birmingham public Top 7% UK

Lift Lea Forest

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Craig Clarke-Castello

corporate_fareACADEMIES ENTERPRISE TRUST

location_onBirmingham, B33 9RD

language Visit Website phone 1216753985

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

559

school

Expected Standard

84%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.8x

summarize

Lift Lea Forest is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Birmingham, serving ages 3-11. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 1.8× more applications than places — plan well ahead. Ranks in the top 7% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Lift Lea Forest is an academy sponsor led in Birmingham, admitting pupils aged 3-11. It is part of ACADEMIES ENTERPRISE TRUST. The school has approximately 551 pupils on roll, of whom 70% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 84% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 15% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #25 of 259 primaries in Birmingham and #846 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.8× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 21.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

84%

LA 60%

Reading87% LA 72%

Writing85% LA 69%

Maths89% LA 71%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

93%

LA 58%England 61%

Reading100% LA 70% · Eng 74%

Writing93% LA 69% · Eng 72%

Maths99% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Read SS

114

Maths SS

112

GPS SS

114

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

89%

LA 56%England 60%

Reading98% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Writing92% LA 67% · Eng 71%

Maths95% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Read SS

114

Maths SS

110

GPS SS

112

Progress (0 = national avg)

10.0

Read

LA 0.0

8.4 to 11.6

5.5

Write

LA -0.2

4.0 to 7.0

7.1

Maths

LA 0.3

5.6 to 8.6

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

90%

LA 60%England 65%

Reading97% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Writing93% LA 73% · Eng 78%

Maths97% LA 74% · Eng 79%

Read SS

110

Maths SS

109

GPS SS

110

Progress (0 = national avg)

8.5

Read

LA -0.2

6.9 to 10.0

3.7

Write

LA -0.3

2.3 to 5.2

5.9

Maths

LA 0.1

4.5 to 7.3

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

68%

LA 59%

Reading76% LA 69%

Writing76% LA 73%

Maths83% LA 70%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.7

Read

LA -0.4

0.2 to 3.2

0.2

Write

LA -0.4

-1.3 to 1.7

2.9

Maths

LA -0.1

1.5 to 4.3

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

07 December 2022

Inspection Report

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10 November 2021

Inspection Report

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08 November 2016

Inspection Report

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11 November 2014

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2022-12-07

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2016-11-08

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-11-11

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 551 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	551	0	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	556	1	0.2%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	563	0	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	559	0	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	563	0	0.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	555	0	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	559	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	538	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	532	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	533	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	531	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	498	1	0.2%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	495	1	0.2%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	493	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	498	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	498	1	0.2%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	488	2	0.4%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	498	0	0.0%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	480	1	0.2%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	474	4	0.8%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	475	3	0.6%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	470	5	1.1%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	456	4	0.9%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	468	1	0.2%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	464	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	464	0	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 24 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 19 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 14 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 14 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

22.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree91%

agree9%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree94%

agree6%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree66%

agree6%

not applicable28%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree91%

agree9%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree100%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree88%

agree13%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree94%

agree6%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree91%

agree9%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree91%

agree9%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes100%

Top Primary Schools in Birmingham

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Little Sutton Primary School

Outstanding

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St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School

Good

location_on Birmingham, B15 2AY

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Jervoise School

Good

location_on Birmingham, B29 5QU

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Christ The King Catholic Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Birmingham, B44 0QN

emoji_events #4 in LA

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Good

location_on Birmingham, B17 0DN

emoji_events #5 in LA

Bournville Village Primary

Good

location_on Birmingham, B30 1JY

emoji_events #6 in LA

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Birmingham

Little Sutton Primary School

St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School

Jervoise School

Christ The King Catholic Primary School

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Bournville Village Primary