Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Academy converter
Plantsbrook School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,574of 1,498 places
- Free school meals
- 17.9%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 233
- Ofsted
- Standards maintained, 26 February 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Plantsbrook School (URN 103527, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 222 pupils who finished Year 11 at Plantsbrook School in 2023, 58% stayed on in Plantsbrook School’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 30% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 159 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 51% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 17% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
French is unusually popular at GCSE: 48% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 51.8 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 60% 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 | Plantsbrook School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 222 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 89% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 58% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 30% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | Plantsbrook School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 159 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 84% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 51% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 17% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 24% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 11% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Plantsbrook School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 51.8 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 60% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 78% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 72% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.92 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 14% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 37.8 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 54.1 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 9% | 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 | 231 | 99% | 88% | 27% | 22% | 87% |
| English Language | 231 | 99% | 89% | 20% | 20% | 77% |
| English Literature | 229 | 98% | 86% | 23% | 21% | 78% |
| Combined Science | 183 | 79% | 65% | 14% | 9% | 73% |
| Geography | 133 | 57% | 41% | 31% | 25% | 68% |
| French | 111 | 48% | 18% | 20% | 29% | 76% |
| History | 105 | 45% | 41% | 34% | 26% | 72% |
| Business Studies | 75 | 32% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 67% |
| Psychology | 73 | 31% | 3% | 26% | 22% | 73% |
| Physical Education | 59 | 25% | 11% | 24% | 24% | 83% |
| Spanish | 49 | 21% | 19% | 6% | 27% | 49% |
| Fine Art | 49 | 21% | 9% | 20% | 28% | 71% |
| Chemistry | 48 | 21% | 23% | 58% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 48 | 21% | 23% | 75% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 47 | 20% | 23% | 70% | 46% | 100% |
| Design and Technology | 37 | 16% | 11% | 30% | 23% | 73% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 32 | 14% | 8% | 19% | 21% | 41% |
| Computer Science | 29 | 12% | 13% | 21% | 30% | 76% |
| Religious Studies | 27 | 12% | 31% | 52% | 32% | 78% |
| Drama | 24 | 10% | 7% | 29% | 27% | 88% |
| Music | 10 | 4% | 5% | 20% | 33% | 70% |
| Chinese | 8 | 3% | 1% | 88% | 75% | 100% |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Urdu | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Studies | 40 | 27% | — |
| Tourism | 19 | 13% | — |
| Small Business Management | 18 | 12% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 15 | 10% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Plantsbrook School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 325 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 149 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.07 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | 50 | 34% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 38 | 26% | 31% |
| Psychology | 29 | 19% | 23% |
| History | 25 | 17% | 13% |
| Sociology | 24 | 16% | 13% |
| Economics | 24 | 16% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 23 | 15% | 17% |
| Physics | 21 | 14% | 12% |
| Biology | 21 | 14% | 20% |
| Accounting/Finance | 19 | 13% | 1% |
| Product Design | 18 | 12% | 2% |
| Geography | 17 | 11% | 10% |
| English Language | 12 | 8% | 4% |
| Religious Studies | 11 | 7% | 4% |
| English Literature | 10 | 7% | 11% |
| Computer Science | 8 | 5% | 5% |
| Media Studies | 7 | 5% | 4% |
| French | 6 | 4% | 1% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Punjabi | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 23 | 15% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 18 | 12% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 18 | 12% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 17 | 11% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 16 | 11% | — |
| Tourism | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 12 | 8% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 5% | — |
| Art and Design | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 5% | — |
| Applied Sciences | VRQ Level 3 | 6 | 4% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
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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.