Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Academy converter
King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
- Pupils on roll
- 1,054of 1,000 places
- Free school meals
- 18.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 149
- Ofsted
- Good, 16 April 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Handsworth Grammar School (URN 103549, until 1 November 2016).
What the data says
Of the 149 pupils who finished Year 11 at King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys in 2023, 83% stayed on in King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys’ own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 6% went to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.
Among the 146 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 71% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 55% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 72.0 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 97% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%) — as a selective grammar school, King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys admits pupils by test at 11, which drives these figures.
French is unusually popular at GCSE: 89% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
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 | 149 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 99% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 99% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 83% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 9% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 6% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 0% | 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 | 146 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 87% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 71% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 55% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 10% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 72.0 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 97% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 99% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 57% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 6.59 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 21% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 72.3 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 71.9 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 19% | 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 Language | 149 | 100% | 89% | 63% | 20% | 99% |
| Mathematics | 149 | 100% | 88% | 72% | 22% | 99% |
| English Literature | 149 | 100% | 86% | 60% | 21% | 97% |
| Religious Studies | 147 | 99% | 31% | 72% | 32% | 99% |
| French | 133 | 89% | 18% | 54% | 29% | 97% |
| Chemistry | 124 | 83% | 23% | 77% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 124 | 83% | 23% | 72% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 124 | 83% | 23% | 74% | 46% | 100% |
| Business Studies | 90 | 60% | 18% | 64% | 20% | 98% |
| Computer Science | 60 | 40% | 13% | 62% | 30% | 95% |
| Geography | 51 | 34% | 41% | 61% | 25% | 98% |
| History | 51 | 34% | 41% | 76% | 26% | 100% |
| Combined Science | 25 | 17% | 65% | 4% | 9% | 92% |
| Design and Technology | 16 | 11% | 11% | 44% | 23% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 12 | 8% | 11% | 42% | 24% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 7 | 5% | 9% | 43% | 28% | 100% |
| Punjabi | 3 | 2% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Music | 2 | 1% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 295 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 131 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 40.53 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 31% | 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 | 102 | 78% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 74 | 56% | 17% |
| Biology | 50 | 38% | 20% |
| Physics | 42 | 32% | 12% |
| Economics | 22 | 17% | 13% |
| Psychology | 21 | 16% | 23% |
| Further Mathematics | 14 | 11% | 5% |
| Religious Studies | 12 | 9% | 4% |
| History | 12 | 9% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 11 | 8% | 13% |
| Law | 9 | 7% | 4% |
| Computer Science | 9 | 7% | 5% |
| Geography | 7 | 5% | 10% |
| Arabic | — | — | 0% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Punjabi | — | — | 0% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
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.