Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Free schools
The University of Birmingham School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,188of 1,150 places
- Free school meals
- 42.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 151
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 17 May 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 151 pupils who finished Year 11 at The University of Birmingham School in 2023, 44% stayed on in The University of Birmingham School’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 36% went to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.
Among the 184 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 71% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 52% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 23% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 45.5 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 41% 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 | This school | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 151 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 93% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 44% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 12% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 36% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 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 | This school | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 184 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 83% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 71% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 52% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 8% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.5 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 41% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 60% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 70% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.30 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 40% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 37.2 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.1 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 25% | 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 | 148 | 98% | 88% | 18% | 22% | 70% |
| English Language | 148 | 98% | 89% | 14% | 20% | 60% |
| English Literature | 147 | 97% | 86% | 12% | 21% | 67% |
| French | 108 | 72% | 18% | 6% | 29% | 40% |
| Combined Science | 97 | 64% | 65% | 8% | 9% | 55% |
| History | 87 | 58% | 41% | 16% | 26% | 66% |
| Geography | 64 | 42% | 41% | 25% | 25% | 70% |
| Computer Science | 64 | 42% | 13% | 20% | 30% | 66% |
| Physics | 51 | 34% | 23% | 47% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 51 | 34% | 23% | 59% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 50 | 33% | 23% | 54% | 47% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 39 | 26% | 31% | 26% | 32% | 87% |
| Photography | 34 | 23% | 6% | 26% | 19% | 88% |
| Fine Art | 33 | 22% | 9% | 33% | 28% | 88% |
| Physical Education | 15 | 10% | 11% | 40% | 24% | 87% |
| Business Studies | 11 | 7% | 18% | 18% | 20% | 73% |
| Music | 5 | 3% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Arabic | 5 | 3% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 2 | 1% | 8% | — | 21% | — |
| German | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 1% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 22 | 11% | — |
| Sports Studies | 18 | 9% | — |
| Sports Studies | 2 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 407 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 194 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 34.77 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 12% | 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 | 103 | 53% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 76 | 39% | 17% |
| Biology | 69 | 36% | 20% |
| Psychology | 58 | 30% | 23% |
| Physics | 40 | 21% | 12% |
| History | 35 | 18% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 34 | 18% | 13% |
| Sociology | 33 | 17% | 13% |
| Computer Science | 30 | 15% | 5% |
| English Literature | 25 | 13% | 11% |
| Politics | 24 | 12% | 6% |
| Geography | 20 | 10% | 10% |
| Religious Studies | 12 | 6% | 4% |
| Physical Education | 10 | 5% | 3% |
| Fine Art | 8 | 4% | 3% |
| Further Mathematics | 8 | 4% | 5% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Chinese | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 15 | 8% | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
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.