Al-Ameen Primary School is a small, independent Islamic primary in Small Heath, Birmingham, serving pupils from nursery through to Year 6, with a published capacity of 180. The school describes its purpose in explicitly values-led terms, including its stated motto, In the footsteps of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and its wider emphasis on Islamic ethos alongside British values.
For parents, the key practical headline is cost and accessibility. For Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the school publishes an annual fee of £3,600 (inclusive of VAT), with monthly and termly payment options, plus a £60 registration fee and a £250 deposit on admission. Early years pricing is structured differently, and families should use the school’s published fees page to confirm what applies to their child’s age and funding eligibility.
For external assurance, the latest inspection framework affecting this school is ISI. The December 2022 ISI regulatory compliance inspection records that the school met the Independent School Standards, relevant Early Years Foundation Stage requirements, and associated regulatory checks, with no further action required as a result of that inspection.
This is a faith-centred school in the straightforward sense, faith is not a bolt-on subject but a daily organising principle. The website places Islamic ethos front and centre, and school life content shows regular routines that reinforce that identity, including Weekly Jumuah Gems, where pupils discuss a short hadith each week, and a set of Ramadhan Stories aimed at bringing Islamic history and role models to life for children.
Because it is relatively small, the culture is likely to feel more tightly held than in a large two-form entry primary. That can suit children who benefit from predictable routines and clear expectations, and it can also feel intense for families who want a more loosely structured approach to faith observance. The admissions policy makes the school’s position explicit, it welcomes pupils from different backgrounds provided they respect the Islamic ethos.
Pastoral expectations and safeguarding structures are also set out in a way that will feel familiar to parents comparing independent schools. The school publicly identifies designated safeguarding leads and safeguarding governance, which is useful for parents who want clarity about who holds responsibility.
There are no Key Stage 2 performance figures available for this school, and it is not ranked for primary outcomes there. In practical terms, that means parents should evaluate academic quality through what the school publishes about curriculum intent, teaching structures, and internal assessment, then test it during a tour and conversations with staff.
The latest ISI regulatory compliance inspection is compliance-focused rather than outcomes-focused, but it does record that the school’s curriculum is documented and covers the required breadth, and that teaching and assessment arrangements are in place to support pupil progress within the regulatory framework. For parents, the implication is that the school has been checked against minimum standards across education, welfare, staffing suitability, and information provision, but you will still want to probe how learning is stretched for higher attainers and how gaps are addressed for pupils who need more support.
Curriculum breadth is explicit on the school website, with subject pages spanning the expected primary core plus wider provision, including Arabic Language, Computing, and Islamic studies-related content embedded through school life and collective worship. The compliance inspection also notes relationships education, including the requirement to consult parents and publish a written policy statement, which matters for parents who want clarity on how statutory expectations are handled in a faith setting.
A useful lens for judging teaching and learning here is to separate three strands and look for alignment:
Ask how phonics and early reading are taught and assessed, how writing stamina is built by upper Key Stage 2, and how mathematical fluency and reasoning are developed. The school’s historic inspection documents and current policies indicate structured approaches and formal expectations, but the decisive factor will be consistency across classes.
Jumuah Gems is a concrete example of how religious learning is normalised as part of the weekly rhythm, not only as a discrete lesson. For many families, that is the point of choosing this type of school, children learn religious concepts in a way that is intended to shape behaviour and everyday decision-making.
Arabic Language appears as a dedicated curriculum area. For pupils who already hear Arabic at home or in religious contexts, this can strengthen confidence and literacy. For pupils new to it, ask how the school differentiates and whether support is available for those who need more time.
As a primary school, the key transition is into Year 7 elsewhere. The school does not publish destination secondary patterns in the material surfaced in research, so parents should treat this as an active enquiry point.
A sensible way to approach this is to ask three practical questions during a tour or admissions conversation:
Which local secondary schools do most families choose, and why?
How does the school support Year 6 transition, including study habits and independence?
Do families commonly pursue selective testing, and if so, what does the school do, and not do, in school time?
Because families choosing an independent faith primary often have strong preferences about the next step, this conversation tends to be revealing about the parent community and the school’s expectations.
Admissions are handled directly by the school rather than through local authority coordinated primary admissions. The admissions policy describes a registration process beginning with an application form and a £60 registration fee. It also flags that, for Key Stage 2 applicants where a prior school report is not available, the child may be asked to sit an entrance test, and that decisions can include a trial period in specific circumstances.
The published policy also indicates that applications can be made through the year subject to space, with nursery registration accepted from the beginning of the term after a child’s third birthday, and primary stage applications accepted in the September following a child’s fifth birthday. In other words, this is not a single annual intake model only, it can operate as rolling entry where places exist.
Open days and tours matter more in a school like this, because culture and ethos are central to fit. The school publishes a tour page describing typical tour length and practicalities, including local parking notes, and indicates tours generally run during school hours.
Parents using FindMySchool tools can still benefit from map-based planning here, not for state catchment cut-offs, but to sanity-check travel time, traffic pinch points, and what “daily logistics” will feel like across the week.
Safeguarding information is made accessible online, including named safeguarding leads and safeguarding governance. The ISI compliance inspection also indicates regulatory standards around welfare, health and safety, supervision, and related requirements were met at the time of inspection.
For parents, the best pastoral due diligence is specific and scenario-based. Ask how the school handles friendship issues and bullying, how behaviour expectations are communicated to pupils and parents, and how staff respond when a child repeatedly struggles to meet those expectations. If your child has additional needs, the admissions policy makes clear that disclosure and early discussion are expected, and that the school assesses whether it can reasonably meet those needs.
The most distinctive enrichment here is faith-linked content that goes beyond a standard religious education slot. Weekly Jumuah Gems provides a clear weekly anchor, using short hadith to link belief, practice and everyday conduct in an age-appropriate way. Ramadhan Stories are another example, designed as short narratives to make history and role models accessible to children and families during the month.
On the practical “extras” side, the school’s published fees information also points to typical add-ons families should budget for, including breakfast club charges, lunch payable to an external caterer, and variable trip costs.
A note of caution for parents researching activities online, some pages appear to contain generic template content that does not read as school-specific. Treat the most reliable signals as those repeated across core pages, policies, and school life content, then confirm the actual clubs and timetables during a tour.
For Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the published annual fee is £3,600 per annum (inclusive of VAT), with options shown as £300 per month via standing order or £1,200 per term. The school also lists a £60 registration fee and a £250 deposit payable upon admission, with the deposit held and returned when the child leaves, subject to any outstanding payments.
The school positions its fees as intentionally kept low to remain affordable, and it also notes community support helps bridge the gap between fee income and operating costs. The fees page does not set out bursary percentages or scholarship awards in the material retrieved, so families seeking financial assistance should ask directly what is available, what criteria apply, and whether support is means-tested.
Fees data coming soon.
The school operates from Stanfield House on Warwick Road in Small Heath, and the tour guidance includes practical travel detail, including nearby side-road parking on Boscombe Road due to restrictions on Warwick Road.
Wraparound matters for working families. The pupil supervision policy states that breakfast club attendance can begin after 7:45am, and the fees page lists breakfast club at £1 per day. Details of any after-school provision, including finish times and whether it runs daily or only on specific days, are not clearly published in the sources surfaced here, so parents should confirm directly with the school.
Faith integration is central. Weekly routines like Jumuah Gems and Ramadhan learning are part of the school’s identity, which will be a strong positive for some families and a poor fit for others.
Limited published outcomes data. Without performance metrics you will need to do more first-hand evaluation, including how progress is assessed and how learning is stretched in upper Key Stage 2.
Practical extras add up. Even with comparatively low headline fees, families should budget for elements like breakfast club, lunch paid to an external caterer, and trip costs.
Rolling entry can mean variable cohort stability. The admissions policy allows for applications through the academic year subject to spaces, which can be helpful for families moving into the area, but may also mean occasional mid-year joins.
Al-Ameen Primary School suits families who want a small independent primary where Islamic ethos is visible in weekly routines, curriculum choices, and daily expectations, and where fees are kept comparatively low for the independent sector. The decisive question is fit, specifically how comfortable your child will be in an explicitly faith-shaped environment and how confident you are in the school’s approach to academic stretch without easily comparable published outcomes. Best suited to families prioritising Islamic character education alongside the primary curriculum, and who can commit to the daily travel and routines that make school life work smoothly.
The latest ISI regulatory compliance inspection in December 2022 recorded that the school met the Independent School Standards and relevant Early Years Foundation Stage requirements, with no further action required at that time. Parents should still evaluate day-to-day teaching quality and progress tracking through a tour and direct questions, particularly for Key Stage 2.
For Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the school publishes an annual fee of £3,600 (inclusive of VAT), with monthly and termly payment options, plus a £60 registration fee and a £250 deposit on admission. Early years pricing varies by age and funding, so families should check the school’s fees information for the correct arrangement.
The admissions policy describes direct-to-school admissions. Nursery registrations are accepted from the beginning of the term after a child’s third birthday, and primary stage applications are accepted in the September following a child’s fifth birthday, with applications also accepted through the year if spaces exist.
The school publishes a tour process and indicates tours are typically during school hours, lasting around 20 to 30 minutes, and include discussion with the head teacher or a senior leader.
Breakfast club is referenced in published policy as starting after 7:45am, and the fees page lists breakfast club at £1 per day. Parents should confirm any after-school provision and end times directly, as those operational details are not clearly set out in the sources retrieved here.
Get in touch with the school directly
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