It was built as a Birmingham board school in 1892 by architects Martin & Chamberlain and is a Grade II* listed building.

Small Heath School was previously located in two buildings on Muntz Street and Waverley Road.

Previously a foundation school administered by Birmingham City Council, in January 2018 Small Heath School converted to academy status and renamed Small Heath Leadership Academy.

Small Heath Leadership Academy offers GCSEs and Cambridge Nationals as programmes of study for pupils,[2] while students in the sixth form have the option to study from a range of A-Levels and Cambridge Technicals.

[3] Pevsner Architectural Guides - Birmingham, Andy Foster, 2005, ISBN 0-300-10731-5