Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School, Birmingham

Ofsted's report card from its 12 May 2026 inspection grades Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School on 7 areas: 1 expected standard, 3 needs attention and 3 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have ensured that a well-planned, ambitious curriculum is in place for the sixth form, which meets students' needs and aspirations."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Many pupils currently at the school are not developing the important knowledge they need in reading, writing and number facts."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is typically taught well across all subjects and year groups."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Leaders have developed an appropriate programme for pupils' personal development."

Attendance and behaviour - Urgent improvement. "Leaders' actions to improve behaviour have not led to pupils generally behaving well."

Inclusion - Urgent improvement. "Leaders have not ensured that all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified and assessed."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "Leaders have not ensured that pupils receive an acceptable standard of education."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Those responsible for governance need to ensure they have an accurate understanding of the quality of provision in the school so they can hold leaders to account"; "Leaders and those responsible for governance must identify priorities for improvement and evaluate the effectiveness of their actions accurately to ensure they are bringing about the improvements needed"; "Leaders need to ensure that they accurately and swiftly identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and that teachers receive the information and training they need so that they are able to support these pupils well"; "Leaders must ensure they have effective systems in place to address internal truancy, thereby reducing the number of pupils who repeatedly miss lessons"; "Leaders need to ensure that there are high expectations for how pupils behave during unstructured times and in lessons, so that the school is calm and orderly"; "Leaders need to ensure they have a detailed understanding of the barriers some pupils face in attending school regularly, and effective strategies to overcome these, so that attendance improves for all pupils"; "Leaders must ensure that pupils at the early stages of reading receive effective support"; "Leaders must ensure that teachers effectively check pupils' understanding so they can address any gaps in learning or misconceptions".

In 2026, pupils at Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.5 in Birmingham and 47 across England.

36% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Birmingham and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 41.7.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.13: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 35.3, against 46.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 174 families put Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School as their first choice and 645 named it as one of their preferences, for 206 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School are Ninestiles, an Academy (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.1); Yardleys School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 43.6); Langley School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.8); and Lyndon School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.2).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School.

Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School is one of 12 schools run by St Teresa of Calcutta Multi Academy Company, an academy trust.

Of the 207 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 43% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 50 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 64% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 6% into work. 16% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

47.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 26.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (39%), Asian (23%) and Mixed (13%).

In 2026, 196 pupils (17%) received SEN support and 11 (1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.

Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School had 87 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Acocks Green Rail Station, about 570 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

25 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Archbishop Ilsley School (adjacent), 160 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School issued 385 suspensions, 33.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School are Acocks Green Primary School (0.2 miles), Holy Souls Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), The Oaklands Primary School (0.2 miles) and Cottesbrooke Infant and Nursery School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.