OFSTED
10 February 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
7 March 2023
Graded inspection
Requires improvement
Published
2 May 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Free schools
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Birmingham
Trust
CORE EDUCATION TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
554
554 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
245
44.2% of pupils
Male pupils
309
55.8% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
32.2 pts
above England
School
57.0%
Birmingham
45.4%
West Midlands
30.6%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
29.2 pts
above England
School
49.5%
Birmingham
38.9%
West Midlands
22.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.4 pts
above England
School
1.4%
Birmingham
0.5%
West Midlands
0.6%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
African
24.4%
135
Any other ethnic group
16.1%
89
Any other Mixed background
15.9%
88
Caribbean
11.4%
63
Pakistani
8.1%
45
Any other White background
3.8%
21
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
17.9%
99 of
554 pupils
3.0 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
2.5 pts
above
England
6.0%
5.5 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
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
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
36.4
2.8 pts
below England
Latest published: -0.47 · 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
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
10.67%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
4.45 pts
higher than
England
School
10.67%
Birmingham
7.01%
West Midlands
6.28%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
34.23%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
18.42 pts
higher than
England
School
34.23%
Birmingham
20.05%
West Midlands
16.42%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
5.11%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
3.31 pts
higher than
England
School
5.11%
Birmingham
2.18%
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
73.9%
18.5 pts
below England
City Academy
73.9%
Birmingham
97.8%
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.