Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Free schools
Ark Victoria Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,519of 1,920 places
- Free school meals
- 68.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 159
- Ofsted
- Improved significantly, 23 October 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Ark Chamberlain Primary Academy (URN 138052, until 1 September 2018).
What the data says
Ark Victoria Academy has no sixth form. Of the 135 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 46% moved to a sixth form college, 30% to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Sixth form colleges are the main next step: 46% of leavers went to one, roughly three times the England rate of 13%.
French is unusually popular at GCSE: 74% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 48.4 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 45% 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 | Ark Victoria Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 135 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 92% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 16% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 46% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 30% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 4% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Ark Victoria Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 48.4 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 45% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 67% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 72% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.42 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 59% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 47.3 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 50.0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 161 | 100% | 88% | 21% | 22% | 71% |
| English Language | 159 | 100% | 89% | 21% | 20% | 75% |
| English Literature | 159 | 100% | 86% | 28% | 21% | 84% |
| French | 118 | 74% | 18% | 12% | 29% | 55% |
| Combined Science | 110 | 69% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 46% |
| Religious Studies | 84 | 53% | 31% | 25% | 32% | 74% |
| Geography | 79 | 50% | 41% | 19% | 25% | 52% |
| History | 77 | 48% | 41% | 17% | 26% | 55% |
| Biology | 50 | 31% | 23% | 36% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 49 | 31% | 23% | 41% | 46% | 98% |
| Chemistry | 49 | 31% | 23% | 45% | 47% | 100% |
| Business Studies | 46 | 29% | 18% | 22% | 20% | 63% |
| Computer Science | 42 | 26% | 13% | 17% | 30% | 57% |
| Photography | 17 | 11% | 6% | 0% | 19% | 94% |
| Physical Education | 14 | 9% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 43% |
| 3D Design | 11 | 7% | 2% | 9% | 16% | 100% |
| Music | 6 | 4% | 5% | 33% | 33% | 83% |
| Italian | 3 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Spanish | 1 | 1% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Video | 35 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 21 | — | — |
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
Aston Manor Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 990 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.6
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.