Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Community school
Holte School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,127of 1,160 places
- Free school meals
- 68.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 231
- Ofsted
- Good, 10 October 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 191 pupils who finished Year 11 at Holte School in 2023, 43% stayed on in Holte School’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 30% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 75 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 67% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 11% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 39.4 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 24% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
French is unusually popular at GCSE: 47% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Birmingham and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Holte School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 191 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 93% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 43% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 18% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 30% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 1% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 4% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Holte School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 75 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 81% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 67% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 11% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 9% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 13% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Holte School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 39.4 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 24% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 45% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 79% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.44 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 62% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 38.5 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 41.0 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 84% | 39% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 229 | 99% | 89% | 17% | 20% | 60% |
| Mathematics | 229 | 99% | 88% | 10% | 22% | 48% |
| English Literature | 226 | 98% | 86% | 19% | 21% | 64% |
| Combined Science | 169 | 73% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 24% |
| Religious Studies | 113 | 49% | 31% | 20% | 32% | 66% |
| Spanish | 112 | 48% | 19% | 2% | 27% | 28% |
| French | 109 | 47% | 18% | 2% | 29% | 22% |
| Geography | 99 | 43% | 41% | 15% | 25% | 49% |
| History | 89 | 39% | 41% | 19% | 26% | 47% |
| Chemistry | 57 | 25% | 23% | 28% | 47% | 88% |
| Biology | 57 | 25% | 23% | 37% | 45% | 88% |
| Physics | 54 | 23% | 23% | 33% | 46% | 93% |
| Design and Technology | 43 | 19% | 11% | 19% | 23% | 44% |
| Psychology | 24 | 10% | 3% | 25% | 22% | 75% |
| Computer Science | 22 | 10% | 13% | 32% | 30% | 68% |
| Fine Art | 20 | 9% | 9% | 30% | 28% | 80% |
| Citizenship Studies | 14 | 6% | 3% | 7% | 19% | 64% |
| Sociology | 13 | 6% | 4% | 15% | 21% | 54% |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 53 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 48 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 39 | 91% | — |
| Sports Studies | 38 | 88% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 36 | 84% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 14 | 33% | — |
| Health Studies | 1 | 2% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Holte School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 161 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 43 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 25.31 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 9% | 22% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language and Literature | 15 | 35% | 2% |
| Religious Studies | 10 | 23% | 4% |
| Sociology | 9 | 21% | 13% |
| Psychology | 8 | 19% | 23% |
| Biology | 8 | 19% | 20% |
| Mathematics | 7 | 16% | 31% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 33 | 77% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 16 | 37% | — |
| Computing and IT Advanced Technician | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 13 | 30% | — |
| Applied Business | VRQ Level 3 | 10 | 23% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 21% | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | 6 | 14% | — |
| Mathematics (Numeracy) | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Where Holte School is
Other secondary schools in Birmingham are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from Birmingham’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in Birmingham
Arena Academy
Academy sponsor led · 969 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.5
Ark Boulton Academy
Academy sponsor led · 877 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.2
Ark Kings Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 739 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.5
Ark St Alban's Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 797 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.9
Ark Victoria Academy
Free schools · 1,519 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.4
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.