SCHOOL PROFILE

Arden

Secondary Academy converter URN 136333
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,490 Published school capacity
Capacity used 121.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

14 June 2022
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Solihull
Trust ARDEN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,812 1,812 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 875 48.3% of pupils
Male pupils 937 51.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

10.7%
14.1 pts below England
School 10.7%
Solihull 24.8%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

9.0%
11.3 pts below England
School 9.0%
Solihull 13.7%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.0%
0.0 pts in line with England
School 1.0%
Solihull 1.0%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
72.3%
1,310
Indian
5.6%
102
Chinese
5.1%
92
Any other Asian background
2.8%
51
Any other White background
2.6%
48
Pakistani
2.5%
46
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 17.8% 322 of 1,812 pupils
3.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 17.8%
Solihull 21.0%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 16.5% 298 pupils
England 14.8% 1.7 pts above
EHC plans 1.3% 24 pupils
England 6.0% 4.7 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 122
Social, emotional & mental health 77
Autistic spectrum disorder 45
Moderate learning difficulty 30
Speech, language & communication 11
Other difficulty or disability 10

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

59.6 20.4 pts above England
School 59.6
Solihull 44.3
West Midlands 38.3
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 73.3% England 36.0% 37.3 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 88.5% England 51.4% 37.1 pts above England
EBacc entry 45.6% England 30.6% 15.0 pts above England
EBacc average point score 5.28 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.59 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

5.49%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.73 pts lower than England
School 5.49%
Solihull 6.93%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

11.49%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

4.32 pts lower than England
School 11.49%
Solihull 17.64%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.92%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.11 pts higher than England
School 1.92%
Solihull 2.39%
West Midlands 1.82%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

121.6% 29.3 pts above England
Arden
121.6%
Solihull
90.2%
West Midlands
94.1%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information