The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
“Trickle-in time” from 8.50am sets the tone, calm, structured, and designed for very young children who are new to school routines. The age range runs from Nursery through to Year 2 (ages 3 to 7), with three classes in each year group, which gives the school enough scale for breadth of friendships while keeping daily routines predictable.
The most recent Ofsted inspection (14 November 2023) judged the school Good overall, with Early Years provision graded Outstanding.
This is a school that leans into the “first experiences” role of infant education. The head teacher, Mrs Samantha Kenny, positions the work as building confidence and security for children who may never have been away from home for a full session before, and that framing shows up in the language of nurture and steady routines.
The latest inspection describes an inclusive, family-feel culture where pupils are happy, enthusiastic about learning, and feel safe because staff respond to worries quickly. That matters at this phase, because the best infant schools are often the ones where small upsets are addressed early and consistently, before they become avoidance, behaviour issues, or anxiety at the school gate.
A distinctive feature is the wider federation context. The infant and nursery school sits alongside the junior school, and the federation also includes a specialist resource base on site, described as the Boldmere Inclusion Base, supporting pupils with autism as their primary need, with the intention of progressing towards integration with mainstream peers. Even if your child is not part of that provision, it tends to shape a culture where differences are expected and supported, rather than treated as disruption.
Because this is an infant and nursery school (up to age 7), parents should not expect the same published Key Stage 2 performance picture as they would from a junior or primary-through school. In practice, quality indicators here are more about curriculum coherence, early reading, language development, and how effectively pupils settle into learning habits.
The clearest current benchmark is inspection. The school’s November 2023 outcome was Good overall, with judgements also recorded as Good for Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management. Early Years provision was graded Outstanding.
A practical implication for families is that the strongest signal is in the early years and Key Stage 1 phase itself: if you have a child who needs a structured, reassuring start, the external judgement suggests the Nursery and Reception experience is a particular strength.
Teaching at this stage lives or dies on routine, language, and sequencing. The inspection narrative points to pupils being enthusiastic about learning and confident talking about school, a proxy for lessons that make sense to them and expectations that are clear.
The federation’s published vision prioritises children feeling safe, confident, and happy, with learning framed as something children should enjoy. In practical terms, that usually translates into a mix of structured phonics and early number work, plenty of talk, and a high volume of adult modelling, especially in Nursery and Reception.
Outdoor learning is a concrete part of the set-up rather than an occasional add-on. Reception outdoor learning is explicitly centred around a courtyard garden, and the site includes three playgrounds plus a larger playing field, which supports the physical learning and regulation needs that are often underestimated in infant settings.
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
FMS Inspection Score calculated by FindMySchool based on official inspection data.
Most families will be thinking about two “next steps”, moving into Reception from Nursery, and moving from Year 2 into Year 3.
A key point is that attendance at Nursery does not guarantee a Reception place, and families still need to apply through the local authority process for Reception entry. That catches some parents out, especially if they assume an on-site nursery is an automatic pipeline.
For Year 3, the usual route is transfer to the linked junior school on the same site. The school’s prospectus states that parents must apply for junior school places, and that children who have attended the infant school have priority over new applications. Practically, that means many children move through with their peer group, which can make the transition smoother, but it still requires a timely application.
This is a popular school. For the most recent admissions data, there were 291 applications for 90 offers, indicating roughly 3.23 applications per place. That level of demand puts it firmly in “competitive local option” territory rather than a school you assume you can pick up late in the process.
Reception applications in Birmingham are coordinated by the local authority. Birmingham’s published guidance for September 2026 entry states that applications opened at 9.00am on 1 October 2025, and the statutory closing date was 11.59pm on 15 January 2026.
The school also promoted Reception 2026 open day sessions. A federation newsletter lists a Reception open day on Thursday 6 November 2025, with two sessions at 9.30am and 1.30pm, and notes there was no need to book.
Nursery applications are handled directly via the school, with registration forms available through the school’s admissions section. For the September 2026 nursery intake, a federation newsletter lists a Nursery open session date of Thursday 5 March 2026 (9.30am and 1.30pm) and a closing date of Monday 16 March 2026 for completed applications.
For families currently in Year 2, Birmingham’s admissions information for transfers to junior school for September 2026 indicates applications open on 1 October 2025 and close on 15 January 2026.
If you are using distance and catchment factors as part of your planning, it is sensible to use FindMySchool’s Map Search to sense-check your home location against realistic admissions patterns, then confirm criteria directly with the local authority process.
Applications
291
Total received
Places Offered
90
Subscription Rate
3.2x
Apps per place
Safeguarding is presented as a priority in the federation’s published safeguarding information, with named safeguarding leads and deputies listed across the federation. The 2023 inspection picture also supports a culture where pupils feel safe and confident that worries will be addressed.
Beyond safeguarding, pastoral care at infant level is often about day-to-day micro-support, transitions, routines, and communication with families. The published prospectus includes practical expectations that typically indicate a school that values clear procedures, punctual collection, and predictable systems, which many children find regulating at ages 4 to 7.
In infant schools, “extracurricular” is less about competitive teams and more about shared experiences, performances, and structured variety. The federation’s newsletters point to a fairly classic infant calendar, seasonal and community-facing.
Examples that give a sense of what children actually do include:
Reception open day sessions that let prospective pupils and parents meet staff and tour the setting, run as two daytime sessions.
Cultural celebrations, such as Diwali activities involving stories, videos, craft work, and sharing home experiences, which signals a curriculum that draws children’s real lives into the classroom.
Whole-school events organised with PTA support, including the annual firework event and book swap and jumper sale referenced in newsletters, which can be a useful cue about community buy-in and how fundraising is tied to lived experiences for pupils rather than abstract targets.
Live performance experiences brought into school, such as the pantomime visit referenced in the calendar, with workshop opportunities for older infant pupils.
The other “beyond classroom” differentiator is space. A library is explicitly listed among the facilities, alongside a hall used for assembly and PE, a separate dining hall, and multiple outdoor areas including a courtyard garden used as the Reception outdoor learning focus. For early readers, access to books in a dedicated space can be a strong practical support for developing reading habits quickly.
The prospectus states school hours as 8.50 to 12.15 and 1.15 to 3.25, with Reception finishing at 3.20. Doors open at 8.50 for “trickle-in time” and the school day begins at 9.00.
The prospectus sets out morning, afternoon, and full-time session structures for nursery, with specific times provided. For current nursery pricing and wraparound details, use the school’s official pages.
The school advertises after-school care through its parents’ section. The exact daily hours and booking pattern are not clearly published in the pages accessed for this review, so families should confirm availability, session times, and capacity directly before relying on it.
The federation has previously reminded families about road safety, including a 20mph limit outside the school and the importance of avoiding double parking at drop-off and pick-up. For public transport planning, families can use the official Transport for West Midlands journey planner.
Reception is not automatic from Nursery. Even if your child attends the nursery, you still need to apply for Reception through the local authority process, and demand can be high.
Competition for places. With 291 applications for 90 offers in the latest, timing and accuracy of applications matter, and late planning can be risky.
Year 3 still requires action. Many children move on to the linked junior school, but the system still requires an application, and deadlines apply for September 2026 transfer.
Drop-off logistics can be tight. The school has explicitly referenced traffic and parking safety issues on nearby roads, so families who drive should factor in extra time and consider safer walking routes if possible.
Boldmere Infant School and Nursery looks strongest where it matters most for ages 3 to 7: early years quality, calm routines, and a culture where pupils feel safe and supported. The federation context and on-site inclusion base also suggest an environment accustomed to meeting a range of needs, with outdoor space and practical systems that suit young children.
Who it suits: families who want a structured, reassuring start to school life, and who value strong early years practice with clear routines. The main challenge is the admissions pressure, especially for Reception, so this is a school where meeting deadlines and understanding criteria is part of the experience.
It has a Good overall judgement from the most recent inspection in November 2023, with Early Years provision graded Outstanding. That combination suggests a secure, well-run infant setting with a particular strength in Nursery and Reception.
Reception applications are coordinated by Birmingham City Council. For September 2026 entry, Birmingham’s published timeline indicates applications opened on 1 October 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026. Keep an eye on the local authority portal for late application rules and offer-day communications.
Nursery applications are made directly through the school using its nursery registration forms. For the September 2026 nursery intake, the federation published an open session date in early March 2026 and an application closing date in mid March 2026, so the nursery process runs on a different timetable from Reception.
Most pupils transfer on to the linked junior school on the same site. Families still need to apply for a Year 3 place through the local authority process, and published guidance for September 2026 transfer uses the same January deadline structure as other coordinated rounds.
The school advertises after-school care through its parent information pages. Specific daily session times and booking arrangements are not clearly set out in the pages accessed for this review, so it is worth confirming availability, hours, and waiting-list expectations directly.
Get in touch with the school directly
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Information on this page is compiled, analysed, and processed from publicly available sources including the Department for Education (DfE), Ofsted, the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and official school websites.
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