Dorrington Academy
Academy converter in Birmingham, B42 1QR, taking ages 3 to 11, 651 on roll.
Homes you looked at
Each measured from its postcode's centre against the 1.16 miles Birmingham published for 2023/24, as the checker measures.
Opened on this device and kept on it only: just their postcodes are sent, to this site, to measure them.
Sign up and the homes you open are kept in My properties, so this list is here on any phone or computer.
Will an address get in?
In 2023/24, the furthest child offered a place lived 1.16 miles away.
Applying for September 2027? Primary applications close 15 January 2027; offers on 16 April 2027.
How this compares: every Birmingham school's distance, tightest first →
The circle is 1.16 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2023/24.
How to read this
Most English schools do not have a catchment area. When Dorrington Academy is oversubscribed, places go outward from the school until they run out, so the distance moves each year with how many families applied and where they lived.
Distances are measured from the postcode's centre, not a front door; a postcode covers a few houses. Siblings, looked-after children come before distance, so a school can fill before distance counts at all.
Real admission areas are not circular: the circle is the distance, not a boundary. The labels on the map are postcode districts whose centre falls inside it; each opens the district's guide.
The address on the closing date is the one the council uses. How admissions work.
One published year so far: 2023/24, from Birmingham. With two or more, the map can draw any of them.
Source: Birmingham, published admission distances, 2023/24
Two schools, both in reach
Two children, or a first and second preference? Add a second school to see where both are in reach, cheapest districts first. Only a school with a published distance can be added.
If the answer is no, you can appeal. In Birmingham, 88 of 813 secondary appeals succeeded in 2025 (10.8%; England 19.9%), counted for all the council's schools together. How every council compares.
Other schools nearby with a published distance
The closest schools to Dorrington Academy that also have a council-published admission distance, nearest first.
| School | Phase | Admitted from | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Orchard Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 0.89 mi 2023/24 | 0.7 mi |
| Ferndale Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 4.39 mi | 0.8 mi |
| Barr View Primary & Nursery Academy Both in reach | Primary | 0.54 mi 2023/24 | 1.3 mi |
| Glenmead Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 1.29 mi 2023/24 | 1.3 mi |
| Whitecrest Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 1.71 mi | 1.3 mi |
| Grove Vale Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 0.55 mi | 1.5 mi |
The distance as a picture
What kind of school this is
| Religious character | No religious character |
| Sixth form | Does not have a sixth form |
| How full | 651 pupils in 708 places (92% full) |
| Trust | DORRINGTON ACADEMY TRUST |
| Local authority | Birmingham |
Department for Education register (GIAS).
How the school is doing
| Ofsted | Report card, June 2026: 1 area strong or exceptional, 6 at the expected standard |
| Report card |
|
| Meeting the expected standard | 75.0% in reading, writing and maths (2024/25) |
| Year | Meeting the expected standard |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 75.0% |
| 2023/24 | 56.0% |
| 2022/23 | 78.0% |
Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.
Who goes to Dorrington Academy
| Girls and boys | 53.1% girls, 46.9% boys |
| English as an additional language | 35.2% of pupils |
| Free school meals | 35.9% of pupils eligible |
DfE school census, most recent published year.
What it costs to live within reach of Dorrington Academy
Cheapest district inside the 1.16 miles: B20, median £200,000. Dearest: B42, £222,000.
| District | Area | From the school | Median sold price |
|---|---|---|---|
| B20 | Birmingham | 1.0 mi | £200,000 73 sales |
| B42 | Birmingham | 0.5 mi | £222,000 169 sales |
How to read this
The postcode districts whose centre falls inside the 1.16 miles the school admitted from in 2023/24, cheapest first, by the median of real sales around each district's centre. A district is wide, so check the address itself, not the list. Districts without enough recorded sales to rank are not shown.
How this compares across England: what a tight gate costs, school by school.
Source: HM Land Registry sold prices, via each district's area guide
Getting to Dorrington Academy by bus
Best-served stop: Austin Way, 0.2 mi away, with 12.8 buses an hour on weekday daytimes; first bus 04:29, last 00:32 after midnight.
Every stop within 600 m
| Stop | From the school | Weekday daytime, an hour | Evening | Sunday | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Way | 0.2 mi | 12.8 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 16, 16A, 54, 54A |
| Austin Way | 0.2 mi | 12.6 | 7.0 | 5.7 | 16, 16A, 54, 54A |
| Beauchamp Avenue | 0.3 mi | 12.8 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 16, 16A, 54, 54A |
These are scheduled departures, not buses observed running. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two rows.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport), week of 8 Sep 2026
The fee-paying alternative
Weighing Dorrington Academy against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around B42: ages, selection, and how full each one is → What it costs to live at B42 1QR, by the school: council tax, energy, prices, rent, stamp duty →
Checking the house as well as the school
The full report checks one address against every nearby school, with sold prices, flood risk and crime.
Common questions
What is the catchment area for Dorrington Academy?
Dorrington Academy does not have one in the sense most people mean. Like most English schools, an oversubscribed year offers places outward from the school until they run out. The nearest thing to an answer: the furthest child admitted in 2023/24 lived 1.16 miles away, per Birmingham.
How close do I need to live to get a place at Dorrington Academy?
Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 1.16 miles was enough in 2023/24. The distance moves every year with the number of applications, so treat last year's figure as evidence, not a promise.
Does buying a house near Dorrington Academy guarantee a place?
No. Admission criteria usually put looked-after children, siblings ahead of distance, so places can be filled before distance is reached. Councils also check that the address is genuinely where the child lives.
Every Birmingham school's distance
All Birmingham schools with a published admission distance, tightest first →
How school admissions actually work, and what the distance means →
Put Dorrington Academy's figure on your own site
A small badge with the published distance that links back here, for a school website, parents' group or forum.
Show the badge and its code
Admission distance published by Birmingham. School details from the Department for Education's register, ratings from Ofsted. Read how every figure on this site is sourced on the methodology page. If something here looks wrong, tell us and it goes on the accuracy log.