Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Free schools
Nishkam High School
- Pupils on roll
- 668of 700 places
- Free school meals
- 30.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 108
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 11 March 2025Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 100 pupils who finished Year 11 at Nishkam High School in 2023, 71% stayed on in Nishkam High School’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 22% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 58 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 83% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 57% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 97% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 51.3 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 55% 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 | Nishkam High School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 100 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 97% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 95% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 71% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 22% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 0% | 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 | Nishkam High School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 58 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 83% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 57% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 5% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Nishkam High School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 51.3 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 55% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 79% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.88 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 36% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 46.5 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 54.0 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 46% | 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 Literature | 108 | 100% | 86% | 30% | 21% | 80% |
| English Language | 108 | 100% | 89% | 15% | 20% | 79% |
| Mathematics | 107 | 99% | 88% | 24% | 22% | 79% |
| Religious Studies | 105 | 97% | 31% | 25% | 32% | 70% |
| Physics | 58 | 54% | 23% | 24% | 46% | 86% |
| Chemistry | 58 | 54% | 23% | 19% | 47% | 81% |
| Biology | 58 | 54% | 23% | 29% | 45% | 95% |
| Business Studies | 54 | 50% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 67% |
| Geography | 53 | 49% | 41% | 25% | 25% | 72% |
| Combined Science | 50 | 46% | 65% | 12% | 9% | 50% |
| History | 45 | 42% | 41% | 42% | 26% | 80% |
| French | 44 | 41% | 18% | 11% | 29% | 64% |
| Punjabi | 43 | 40% | 0% | 60% | 48% | 88% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 24% | 13% | 38% | 30% | 88% |
| Photography | 20 | 19% | 6% | 5% | 19% | 50% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 13 | 12% | 8% | 23% | 21% | 54% |
| Physical Education | 9 | 8% | 11% | 11% | 24% | 78% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 20 | 31% | — |
| Music Technology (Electronic) | 10 | 16% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Nishkam High School | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 113 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 64 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 36.04 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 18% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 25 | 39% | 31% |
| Economics | 23 | 36% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 22 | 34% | 17% |
| Business Studies | 18 | 28% | 13% |
| Biology | 16 | 25% | 20% |
| Psychology | 14 | 22% | 23% |
| English Literature | 11 | 17% | 11% |
| Physics | 11 | 17% | 12% |
| Punjabi | 10 | 16% | 0% |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 14% | 4% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Sociology | — | — | 13% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 21 | 33% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 13 | 20% | — |
| Applied Sciences | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 12 | 19% | — |
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.