Sparkbrook South

Summary

Sparkbrook South (E02001903) is part of Birmingham local authority (view on map). Sparkbrook South has an approximate population of 8,100 people, of which 27% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".

Sparkbrook South neighbours Sparkbrook North, Sparkhill North, Balsall Heath East, and Greet & Mid Sparkhill.

Headlines

  • 81% of children are living in low-income families, ranking it among the 10% most deprived regarding income deprivation among children in England – see more.
  • 56% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England – see more.
  • 3% of pupils have an EHC plan, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England – see more.
  • 95% of pupils belong to a minority ethnic group, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England – see more.
  • 66% of pupils have a first language known or believed to be other than English, 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

Sparkbrook South is the 119th least deprived area in Birmingham (out of 132) with 81% of children living in low-income families, compared to 62% across Birmingham and 38% nationally.

81% 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 Sparkbrook South, 56% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 49% in Birmingham and 27% nationally.

56% 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 Sparkbrook South % in Birmingham % in England
Eligible for free school meals 56% 49% 27%
Not eligible for free school meals 44% 51% 73%

Data source

Special educational needs

In Sparkbrook South, 20% 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.

3% of pupils have an EHC plan, placing it in the bottom 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 Sparkbrook South % in Birmingham % in England
No special educational needs 79% 81% 81%
Receiving special educational needs support 17% 15% 14%
With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) 3% 4% 5%

Data source

Ethnicity

In Sparkbrook South, 95% 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.

95% of pupils belong to a minority ethnic group, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England.

Contents

Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups

Table

% in Sparkbrook South % in Birmingham % in England
White 4% 28% 67%
Asian 70% 39% 14%
Black 8% 14% 7%
Mixed 5% 10% 7%
Other 12% 7% 3%
Not known 1% 2% 2%

Data source

English as an additional language

The percentage of pupils in Sparkbrook South with English as an additional language is 66%, 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.

66% of pupils have a first language known or believed to be other than English, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language

Table

% in Sparkbrook South % in Birmingham % in England
Known or believed to be other than English 66% 40% 22%
Known or believed to be English 34% 60% 78%

Data source

Provider information

Jump to:

Registered childcare providers

Sparkbrook South has 8 registered childcare providers.

Type Number in Sparkbrook South
All childcare providers 8
Childminders 3
Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care 5

In Sparkbrook South, 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: There have been no inspections of Achievement in Sparkbrook South so no outcomes are available for this area.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: There have been no inspections of Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines in Sparkbrook South so no outcomes are available for this area.

Children's welfare and well-being: There have been no inspections of Children's welfare and well-being in Sparkbrook South so no outcomes are available for this area.

Curriculum and teaching: There have been no inspections of Curriculum and teaching in Sparkbrook South so no outcomes are available for this area.

Inclusion: There have been no inspections of Inclusion in Sparkbrook South so no outcomes are available for this area.

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

The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of childcare providers in Sparkbrook South. 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 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 1 0 0 1 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 1 0 0 1 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

Sparkbrook South has 4 state-funded schools.

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

There have been no inspections of schools in Sparkbrook South since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data sources: