Castle Vale

Summary

Castle Vale (E02001855) is part of Birmingham local authority (view on map). Castle Vale has an approximate population of 9,900 people, of which 22% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".

Castle Vale neighbours Minworth, Pype Hayes Park, Castle Bromwich West, and Birches Green & Bromford East.

Headlines

  • 74% of children are living in low-income families, ranking it among the 10% most deprived regarding income deprivation among children in England – see more.
  • 60% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England – see more.
  • 20% of pupils are receiving SEN support, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England – see more.
Guidance and data sources

Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.

The data displayed is sourced from:

Deprivation

Castle Vale is the 94th least deprived area in Birmingham (out of 132) with 74% of children living in low-income families, compared to 62% across Birmingham and 38% nationally.

74% of children are living in low-income families, ranking it among the 10% most deprived regarding income deprivation among children in England.

Data source

State-funded pupil characteristics

Information acquired from the school census.

Free school meals

In Castle Vale, 60% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 49% in Birmingham and 27% nationally.

60% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England.

Contents

Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

Table showing the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

% in Castle Vale % in Birmingham % in England
Eligible for free school meals 60% 49% 27%
Not eligible for free school meals 40% 51% 73%

Data source

Special educational needs

In Castle Vale, 26% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 19% in Birmingham, and 19% nationally.

This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.

20% of pupils are receiving SEN support, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England .

Contents

Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

Table showing the percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

% in Castle Vale % in Birmingham % in England
No special educational needs 74% 81% 81%
Receiving special educational needs support 20% 15% 14%
With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) 6% 4% 5%

Data source

Ethnicity

In Castle Vale, 36% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 72% in Birmingham, and 33% nationally.

Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.

Contents

Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups

Table

% in Castle Vale % in Birmingham % in England
White 62% 28% 67%
Asian 5% 39% 14%
Black 12% 14% 7%
Mixed 18% 10% 7%
Other 1% 7% 3%
Not known 2% 2% 2%

Data source

English as an additional language

The percentage of pupils in Castle Vale with English as an additional language is 11%, compared with 40% in Birmingham, and 22% nationally.

Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language

Table

% in Castle Vale % in Birmingham % in England
Known or believed to be other than English 11% 40% 22%
Known or believed to be English 88% 60% 78%

Data source

Provider information

Jump to:

Registered childcare providers

Castle Vale has 5 registered childcare providers.

Type Number in Castle Vale
All childcare providers 5
Childminders 2
Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care 3

In Castle Vale, there has been 1 full inspection of childcare providers since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Under the renewed education inspection framework, childcare providers are evaluated on the following areas:

  • Achievement
  • Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
  • Children's welfare and wellbeing
  • Curriculum and teaching
  • Inclusion
  • Leadership and governance

We use a 5-point scale to grade different areas of a provider’s work. The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:

  • Exceptional
  • Strong standard
  • Expected standard
  • Needs attention
  • Urgent improvement

Achievement: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Children's welfare and well-being: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).

Curriculum and teaching: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Inclusion: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).

Leadership and governance: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).

The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of childcare providers in Castle Vale. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.

Contents

All childcare

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 1 0 0 1 0 0
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines 1 0 0 1 0 0
Children's welfare and well-being 1 0 1 0 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 1 0 0 1 0 0
Inclusion 1 0 1 0 0 0
Leadership and governance 1 0 1 0 0 0

Childminders

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 0 0 0 0 0 0
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines 0 0 0 0 0 0
Children's welfare and well-being 0 0 0 0 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 0 0 0 0 0 0
Inclusion 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leadership and governance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Full day care

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Sessional day care

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Out-of-school day care

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Other childcare

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Data source

State-funded schools

Castle Vale has 6 state-funded schools.

Type Number in Castle Vale
All state-funded schools 6
Nursery schools 1
Primary and all-through schools 4
Secondary and all-through schools 1
Special schools 0
Registered alternative provision 1

In Castle Vale, there have been 2 full inspections of schools since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Under the renewed education inspection framework, schools are evaluated on the following areas:

  • Achievement
  • Attendance and behaviour
  • Curriculum and teaching
  • Early years (where applicable)
  • Inclusion
  • Leadership and governance
  • Personal development and wellbeing
  • Post 16 provision (where applicable)

The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:

  • Exceptional
  • Strong standard
  • Expected standard
  • Needs attention
  • Urgent improvement

Achievement: 1 was graded 'expected standard', and 1 was graded 'needs attention' (of 2).

Attendance and behaviour: 1 was graded 'expected standard', and 1 was graded 'needs attention' (of 2).

Curriculum and teaching: 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 2).

Early years: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Inclusion: 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 2).

Leadership and governance: 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 2).

Personal development and wellbeing: 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 2).

Post-16 provision: There have been no inspections of Post-16 provision in Castle Vale so no outcomes are available for this area.

The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of state-funded schools in Castle Vale. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.

Contents

All schools

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 2 0 0 1 1 0
Attendance and behaviour 2 0 0 1 1 0
Curriculum and teaching 2 0 0 2 0 0
Early years 1 0 0 1 0 0
Inclusion 2 0 0 2 0 0
Leadership and governance 2 0 0 2 0 0
Personal development and wellbeing 2 0 0 2 0 0
Post-16 provision 0 0 0 0 0 0

Nursery schools

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 0 0 0 0 0 0
Attendance and behaviour 0 0 0 0 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 0 0 0 0 0 0
Early years 0 0 0 0 0 0
Inclusion 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leadership and governance 0 0 0 0 0 0
Personal development and wellbeing 0 0 0 0 0 0
Post-16 provision 0 0 0 0 0 0

Primary schools

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 1 0 0 1 0 0
Attendance and behaviour 1 0 0 1 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 1 0 0 1 0 0
Early years 1 0 0 1 0 0
Inclusion 1 0 0 1 0 0
Leadership and governance 1 0 0 1 0 0
Personal development and wellbeing 1 0 0 1 0 0
Post-16 provision 0 0 0 0 0 0

Secondary schools

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 1 0 0 0 1 0
Attendance and behaviour 1 0 0 0 1 0
Curriculum and teaching 1 0 0 1 0 0
Early years 0 0 0 0 0 0
Inclusion 1 0 0 1 0 0
Leadership and governance 1 0 0 1 0 0
Personal development and wellbeing 1 0 0 1 0 0
Post-16 provision 0 0 0 0 0 0

Special schools

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 0 0 0 0 0 0
Attendance and behaviour 0 0 0 0 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 0 0 0 0 0 0
Early years 0 0 0 0 0 0
Inclusion 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leadership and governance 0 0 0 0 0 0
Personal development and wellbeing 0 0 0 0 0 0
Post-16 provision 0 0 0 0 0 0

Registered alternative provision

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 0 0 0 0 0 0
Attendance and behaviour 0 0 0 0 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 0 0 0 0 0 0
Early years 0 0 0 0 0 0
Inclusion 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leadership and governance 0 0 0 0 0 0
Personal development and wellbeing 0 0 0 0 0 0
Post-16 provision 0 0 0 0 0 0

Data sources: