Priestley Smith School is a council-run special school in Birmingham for children and young people aged 2 to 19. It supports vision.
- Ages 2–19
- 94 pupils
- Ofsted: Outstanding
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 94 (places for 90)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanna Garvey (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 58.2% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Birmingham
- School reference (URN)
- 103614
Needs it supports
1 need: vision
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Sensory and physical
- Visual impairment Other schools for this in Birmingham (5)
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Birmingham council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Outstanding, January 2015; standards maintained (October 2024)
Rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in January 2015. That was some time ago, so read the latest report for the full picture.
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- Early yearsOutstanding
- Sixth formOutstanding
Since then: Standards maintained (ungraded inspection, October 2024).
Contact and getting there
Perry Beeches Campus, Beeches Road, Birmingham, B42 2PY
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Ferndale Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 1.1 miles
- Hawthorn Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 1.3 miles
- Cherry Orchard Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 1.5 miles
All SEND schools in Birmingham
By need in Birmingham: Autism (52) · Speech and language (18) · Moderate learning (16) · Severe learning (12) · Hearing (9) · Physical (7) · Vision (6) · SEMH (5) · PMLD (5) · Dyslexia and SpLD (4)
Questions about Priestley Smith School
How do I get a place at Priestley Smith School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Priestley Smith School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Priestley Smith School support?
Visual impairment. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Priestley Smith School take?
Aged 2 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Priestley Smith School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in October 2024 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Priestley Smith School?
Perry Beeches Campus, Beeches Road, Birmingham, B42 2PY, in Birmingham.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.