Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Academy converter
Holyhead School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,257of 1,250 places
- Free school meals
- 64.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 208
- Ofsted
- Standards maintained, 21 May 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Holyhead School (URN 103517, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 208 pupils who finished Year 11 at Holyhead School in 2023, 53% stayed on in Holyhead School’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 33% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 118 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 70% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 32% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Business Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 42% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 43.2 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 33% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 | Holyhead School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 208 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 53% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | — | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 33% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 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 | Holyhead School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 118 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 85% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 70% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 32% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 8% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Holyhead School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 43.2 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 57% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 37% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.79 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 56% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 39.2 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.3 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 64% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 208 | 100% | 88% | 10% | 22% | 63% |
| English Language | 208 | 100% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 73% |
| English Literature | 207 | 100% | 86% | 19% | 21% | 71% |
| Combined Science | 164 | 79% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 41% |
| Geography | 127 | 61% | 41% | 8% | 25% | 40% |
| Business Studies | 87 | 42% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 44% |
| History | 74 | 36% | 41% | 22% | 26% | 68% |
| Religious Studies | 67 | 32% | 31% | 52% | 32% | 94% |
| French | 40 | 19% | 18% | 23% | 29% | 75% |
| Physics | 40 | 19% | 23% | 38% | 46% | 83% |
| Biology | 40 | 19% | 23% | 35% | 45% | 85% |
| Chemistry | 39 | 19% | 23% | 38% | 47% | 90% |
| Spanish | 37 | 18% | 19% | 16% | 27% | 59% |
| Computer Science | 35 | 17% | 13% | 14% | 30% | 40% |
| Sociology | 31 | 15% | 4% | 16% | 21% | 42% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 21 | 10% | 8% | 10% | 21% | 71% |
| Art and Design | 18 | 9% | 7% | 39% | 24% | 72% |
| Media Studies | 17 | 8% | 4% | 6% | 20% | 47% |
| Italian | 4 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Punjabi | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 25 | 48% | — |
| Health Studies | 24 | 46% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 13 | 25% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 8 | 15% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Holyhead School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 225 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 52 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 33.40 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 10% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 16 | 31% | 20% |
| Psychology | 16 | 31% | 23% |
| Sociology | 14 | 27% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 12 | 23% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 9 | 17% | 17% |
| English Language and Literature | 8 | 15% | 2% |
| Geography | 8 | 15% | 10% |
| Punjabi | — | — | 0% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Italian | — | — | 0% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law / Legal Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 33 | 63% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 29 | 56% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | 12 | 23% | — |
| Health Studies | VRQ Level 3 | 11 | 21% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 19% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 10 | 19% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 9 | 17% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 8 | 15% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 7 | 13% | — |
| Music performance: Group | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Spanish | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
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Ark Victoria Academy
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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.