Silvertrees Academy Review 2026: Early years and infant schooling with strong personal development

Because Silvertrees is an infant-age setting (through to Year 2), parents should not expect the usual Key Stage 2 headline outcomes that are published for primary schools with Year 6. The best “results” indicators here are curriculum delivery, early reading progress, and how well children are prepared for junior school at the point of transfer after Year 2.

In practice, the school describes a strong focus on the basics, with reading, writing and mathematics explicitly prioritised as the tools children need for later learning, balanced with wider subject knowledge across the curriculum.

Early reading is framed around daily phonics or spelling lessons for every child. The school states it uses a synthetic systematic phonics approach based on Letters and Sounds, with Rising Stars Spelling used in Year 2. For parents, the implication is clear: you should expect daily decoding practice, frequent repetition, and a consistent approach across classes, rather than a looser “learn to read naturally” model.

Curriculum design is unusually well-articulated for an infant academy. The “head, hand, heart” model is used as the organising idea, linking academic learning with personal development and practical experiences.

Two choices stand out.

Oracy-first delivery

The school explicitly positions spoken language as the foundation for learning. In early years and Key Stage 1, this usually translates into more talk for reasoning, stronger vocabulary instruction, and clearer expectations for how children explain their thinking.

Daily early reading routines

Daily phonics or spelling sessions are stated as universal, with a structured approach to tricky words and spelling progression into Year 2. The implication for families is that home reading and simple practice at home will align well with school expectations, because the approach is systematic.

For nursery-age children, the school’s early years intent places emphasis on children feeling safe, happy and valued, alongside a sequential, progressive curriculum. That kind of clarity tends to support children who thrive with predictable routines and well-signposted transitions.

Silvertrees educates children up to the end of Year 2, so the key transition is into junior provision (Year 3) for most children, unless they move into an all-through primary elsewhere.

Parents should treat this transition as a major decision point, not a minor administrative step. Infant-to-junior moves can involve changes in site, friendship group, school day structure, and expectations around independence. The practical best next step is to look at Sandwell’s junior and primary options early, then map realistic travel and wraparound needs alongside your preferred junior school choices.

If your child attends the nursery provision, it is important to understand that this does not guarantee a Reception place at the school.

Silvertrees has two admissions “tracks” in real life.

1. Nursery and early years places (direct with the school). The school publishes nursery application routes, including a Rising 3’s application form, and asks families to apply directly for these early years places.

2. Reception entry (local authority coordinated). Reception places are handled through Sandwell’s coordinated admissions process. For September 2026 entry, Sandwell’s on-time application closing date was 15 January 2026.

Offer timing is important for planning childcare and work. Sandwell states the national offer day for Reception is 16 April (or the next working day).

Demand appears healthy. In the most recent admissions, there were 89 applications for 69 offers for the primary entry route, which is consistent with the school being oversubscribed. (This is an indicator of competition, not a guarantee of future patterns, because cohorts and local demand change year to year.)

A practical tip: if you are deciding between multiple Sandwell schools, use FindMySchool’s map tools to sanity-check travel time and day-to-day logistics, not just preference order. That matters more than most parents expect once you are doing drop-off five days a week.

Pastoral systems are unusually explicit for an infant setting. The deputy head is also listed as SENCo and designated safeguarding lead (DSL), which typically supports faster decision-making when children need support or when families need clear points of contact.

Inspection attribution sentence 2 of 2

Ofsted’s October 2024 report records personal development as a standout strength, while also confirming Good judgements for early years provision and the wider school.

For parents, the useful implication is that the school is not treating wellbeing as an add-on. In early years and Key Stage 1, personal development tends to show up in how children learn routines, self-regulation, relationships, and simple responsibilities that make Year 3 transition smoother.

For a school serving ages 3 to 7, extracurricular life is often less about elite pathways and more about exposure, confidence, and routine building.

Wraparound as a core offer

The school runs a before and after-school provision called Rainbow Club for children aged 3 to 7, staffed by learning support staff who also work in the school. Breakfast club starts at 7.30am, and after-school sessions run through to 6.00pm, with a short and long session model. For working families, this can be the difference between a workable plan and an impossible one.

After-school clubs

The school also states it runs after-school clubs from 3.15pm to 4.00pm, supervised by support staff, with places limited by capacity and allocated via termly sign-up. The key takeaway is that clubs exist but may not be available to every child every half term, so families should treat them as enrichment rather than guaranteed childcare.

School-day timing is clearly published.

• Nursery and Little Acorns sessions: 8.30am to 11.30am (morning) and 12.30pm to 3.30pm (afternoon), with lunch club 11.30am to 12.30pm.

• Reception, Year 1, Year 2: 8.45am to 3.15pm.

• Rainbow Club wraparound: breakfast from 7.30am; after-school up to 6.00pm.

Transport-wise, most families will be doing short local journeys. If you are comparing options, prioritise what you can sustain daily in winter as well as summer, and remember that wraparound pick-up times can shape commuting decisions as much as the school day itself.

• Infant-only age range. The school ends at Year 2, so a second admissions decision is coming sooner than at a full primary. Families should plan early for the Year 3 move.

• Nursery does not guarantee Reception. It is easy to assume an on-site nursery is a direct route into the school, but Sandwell is explicit that nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place.

• Competition for places. The school is listed as oversubscribed provided. Treat this as a prompt to apply on time and keep realistic backup options in mind, rather than as a reason to panic.

• Clubs are enrichment, not certainty. After-school clubs are offered, but places are limited, and sign-up happens term by term.

Silvertrees Academy reads as a structured, early-years-focused setting: clear routines, a strong emphasis on language and early reading, and wraparound that is specific enough to plan around. It suits families who want a coherent nursery-to-infant pathway and who value personal development as highly as early academic foundations. The main challenge is that you should plan early for both entry and the Year 2 to Year 3 transition.