Ark Kings Academy, Birmingham

From the headteacher's welcome: "Ark Kings is an all-through school for children aged 3 to 16, located in the heart of Kings Norton. We are proud to serve our local community and to provide a continuous educational journey from Nursery through to Year 11."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, hockey, basketball, drama, choir, orchestra and art.

In 2026, pupils at Ark Kings Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.5 in Birmingham and 47 across England.

28% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Birmingham and 47% in England.

That is up from 36.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.53: pupils made well 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 38.1, against 48.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 17 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 38 families put Ark Kings Academy as their first choice and 223 named it as one of their preferences, for 71 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Ark Kings Academy are St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.9); King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys (1.4 miles, Attainment 8 48.1); King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls (1.6 miles, Attainment 8 45.3); and Kings Norton Girls' School (1.6 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 51.4).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Ark Kings Academy.

Ark Kings Academy is one of 48 schools run by ARK Schools, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.7 in 2024/25.

Of the 111 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 80% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 73% to a further education college.

70.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 31.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (43%), Black (20%) and Mixed (14%).

In 2026, 183 pupils (24.8%) received SEN support and 13 (1.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

Ark Kings Academy had 37 teachers in 2026, one for every 21 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Kings Norton Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Tay Grove (after), 150 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ark Kings Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 3rd decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 214 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, vehicle crime and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Birmingham (435).

In 2024/25, Ark Kings Academy issued 206 suspensions, 25.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Ark Kings Academy are St Paul's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles), Hawkesley Church Primary Academy (0.4 miles), Kings Norton Primary School (0.7 miles) and Fairway Primary Academy (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.