The Shirestone Academy Review 2026: Outstanding primary outcomes with a strong early years start

High attainment, a confident early years phase, and a school culture that expects pupils to work hard without losing the sense that primary should still feel joyful. The Shirestone Academy serves families in Tile Cross with nursery provision from age 3 through to Year 6, and it is part of The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust.

Leadership is stable and clearly visible, with Mr Nadeem Bashir named as principal on both the school’s staff listing and the latest inspection report. The publicly available sources accessed for this review do not state his appointment date, so it is not included here.

The most recent graded inspection (6 to 7 December 2023, published 29 January 2024) judged the school Outstanding overall, and Outstanding across all graded areas including early years.

A recurring theme in the school’s official narrative is belonging. The latest inspection describes parents and staff talking about being part of one big family, alongside pupils who are happy, feel safe, and enjoy learning. That combination matters, because it points to a culture where high expectations are normalised, rather than imposed.

Behaviour is described as calm and purposeful, with disruption characterised as rare and adults stepping in to help pupils improve when needed. That is the practical foundation for strong outcomes. In a primary setting, especially one that includes nursery and Reception, consistency in routines is often the difference between children who feel secure enough to take learning risks and children who hold back.

Early years is positioned as a genuine strength, not a bolt-on. Nursery and Reception are described as helping children settle quickly into routines and expectations, with communication and language prioritised from the start. For families weighing up a nursery place, this is the kind of evidence that suggests pupils start Year 1 ready for more formal learning patterns.

This is a high-performing primary by published outcomes and by comparative ranking.

In 2024, 88.67% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined. The England average is 62%, so the gap is substantial and meaningful. At the higher standard, 36.67% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared to the England average of 8%. Reading, mathematics, and grammar, punctuation and spelling scaled scores are also high at 110, 109, and 113 respectively.

Ranked 280th in England and 4th in Birmingham for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits among the highest-performing in England (top 2%).

What that means for parents is straightforward. The typical pupil here is achieving well above age-related expectations by the end of Year 6, and a significant share are working at greater depth, which often translates into confidence with inference in reading, multi-step problem-solving in mathematics, and more mature writing control.

Families comparing local schools should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to view these measures side by side, because small differences in scaled scores and higher-standard rates can indicate very different classroom experiences.

The curriculum is described by leaders as ambitious and carefully structured, with an explicit intent to teach core skills thoroughly while ensuring pupils apply them in foundation subjects such as geography, history, computing, design and technology, and Spanish.

One useful detail is the way English is framed. The school describes English learning as being driven by a central text theme that links to wider topics where possible. In practice, that approach tends to help pupils build background knowledge and vocabulary, which is one of the strongest predictors of reading comprehension by Key Stage 2.

Reading and phonics are given particular emphasis in the inspection evidence. Adults are described as guiding pupils carefully so they grasp phonics early; staff identify pupils who are struggling and put support in place quickly. The implication is an approach that treats early reading as a non-negotiable gateway, rather than something that is left to chance.

Mathematics is also highlighted as a strength, and the school’s outcomes support that narrative. For families with children who enjoy number and reasoning, this often translates into lessons that move at a brisk pace and expect pupils to explain their thinking, not just produce answers.

As a primary school, the main transition point is Year 6 into secondary education. Birmingham operates a coordinated admissions system for Year 7 entry, and families in Tile Cross typically weigh a range of options that can include local comprehensive schools and, for some pupils, selective grammar routes depending on family preference and pupil suitability.

The most sensible approach is to treat Year 5 and early Year 6 as the planning window. Start by looking at travel time, sibling logistics, and the child’s learning style, then match that to schools’ published admissions criteria. If your shortlisting depends on distance, use FindMySchool Map Search to check how your home location sits relative to likely cut-off distances each year.

Reception places are offered through Birmingham’s coordinated admissions process. For September 2026 entry, applications opened on 1 October 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026, with offers released on 16 April 2026.

The school’s published admission number for Reception is 30. Demand is strong. In the most recent application figures provided here, there were 106 applications for 30 offers, which equates to around 3.53 applications per place. That is the practical reality behind the label “oversubscribed”. Entry remains the primary hurdle for families who do not already meet higher priority criteria.

Oversubscription criteria follow the standard pattern used by many academies: children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, then looked-after and previously looked-after children, then exceptional medical or social need, siblings, children of staff (under defined conditions), and finally distance. Distance is measured as a straight-line measurement, using local authority systems and mapping coordinates.

Nursery admissions are handled differently. Applications are made directly to the school, and the nursery is described as having capacity equivalent to 52 fifteen-hour places (which may be a mix of 15-hour and 30-hour arrangements). Importantly, attending the nursery does not give priority for a Reception place, so families should plan on making a separate Reception application through the local authority in the normal way.

Pastoral support is visible both in staffing and in the way wellbeing is discussed. The school lists a SENDCo and Inclusion Manager, and also identifies a learning mentor who is a mental health first aider.

From September 2024, the school began using the myHappymind programme and set up a “Happiness Heroes” team made up of pupils from Years 1 to 6. The practical value of this sort of structure is that it gives pupils shared language for emotions, self-regulation, and peer support, rather than treating wellbeing as an occasional assembly theme.

Safeguarding is recorded as effective in the latest inspection evidence.

This is where the school’s identity becomes more distinctive, and where parents can often tell whether a setting will suit their child.

First, the arts. The school reports Artsmark Gold achieved in October 2023, alongside a commitment to singing and a school choir offer. That tends to signal regular performance opportunities and staff attention to creative development, not just end-of-term concerts.

Second, structured wellbeing leadership. The Happiness Heroes model gives pupils a specific role in shaping culture, and it sits alongside other pupil leadership references in the inspection evidence, such as house captains and pupils organising playtime equipment. These roles matter because they build responsibility in small, achievable steps, which can be particularly helpful for pupils who gain confidence by being useful to others.

Third, outdoor and enrichment experiences. The staff listing includes Forest School as part of extracurricular provision. Used well, Forest School supports teamwork, perseverance, and practical problem-solving, and it can be an effective counterbalance for pupils who spend a lot of time on literacy and numeracy consolidation.

Finally, “Shirestone’s Top 30” is a distinctive in-house enrichment concept, described as giving children experiences they might not otherwise access at home. The specific list is not reproduced in the sources reviewed here, but the concept itself signals that the school is trying to broaden pupils’ horizons in a planned, cumulative way.

The school day timings are clearly published. Nursery pupils are expected in ready to learn by 8:55am and finish at 3:05pm. Reception to Year 6 pupils are expected in ready to learn by 8:45am, with the school day finishing at 3:15pm.

The latest inspection evidence states that the school offers childcare before school, managed by the school. The sources reviewed do not provide hours or booking details for this provision, so families should confirm practical arrangements directly.

Tile Cross is served by local bus routes and is a broadly drivable part of east Birmingham. For families planning a routine that relies on public transport, it is sensible to check current routes and reliability using official local journey planners, and to trial the journey at peak times.

• Competition for Reception places. With 106 applications for 30 offers in the most recent figures provided here, demand is strong. For families without a sibling link or another priority criterion, distance and the wider distribution of applicants can matter.

• Nursery does not guarantee Reception. Nursery applications are handled directly by the school, but attending nursery does not give priority for Reception entry. Plan to apply for Reception through Birmingham’s coordinated process regardless.

• High expectations suit some children better than others. The published attainment profile and inspection evidence point to a culture of hard work and ambitious curriculum coverage. That will suit many pupils, but families should consider how their child responds to a fast-moving learning environment.

The Shirestone Academy combines an Outstanding inspection profile with very strong Key Stage 2 outcomes and a clear emphasis on early reading, mathematics, and structured curriculum design. It also shows thoughtful attention to wellbeing and enrichment through programmes like myHappymind, Forest School, and school-led horizon-broadening initiatives.

Best suited to families in Tile Cross who want a primary school with high academic expectations, a strong early years start, and a culture that puts learning and belonging side by side. The practical challenge is admission, especially at Reception.