City Academy, Birmingham

Requires Improvement
Secondary
Free schools
Mixed
Ages 1116

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~416m)Possible (~594m)Unlikely (~772m)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Rebecca Bakewell
Pupils:554 / 750 capacity
LA:Birmingham
Phone:01217297100
Address:23 Langley Walk, Birmingham, B15 2EF
Trust:CORE EDUCATION TRUST
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2020

Ofsted Rating

Requires Improvement

Overall

URN:148187
UKPRN:10086930
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Birmingham Ladywood
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

City Academy excels at making all pupils feel welcomed and cared for, regardless of their background. The school has made impressive improvements to behaviour and attendance through clear expectations and effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special needs. Staff genuinely care for each pupil's wellbeing and work hard to help them overcome barriers to learning.

Key Strengths

  • Strong pastoral care with pupils feeling safe and valued as individuals
  • Significant improvements in attendance and behaviour, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
  • Effective support for pupils learning English as an additional language, who make rapid progress
  • Comprehensive personal development and careers programme starting from Year 7
  • Robust safeguarding systems and open culture where concerns are actively managed

Areas for Improvement

  • Inconsistent teaching quality means pupils have varied learning experiences across different lessons and subjects
  • Not all teachers effectively check pupils have understood key knowledge before moving on
  • Work to close gaps in writing and numeracy skills is only in early stages
  • Some staff not consistently adapting learning strategies for pupils with SEND despite receiving training

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

retro video gaming, baking, choir, various sports, outdoor education trips, theatre visits, Year 7 residential

City Academy is a welcoming school where pupils feel safe and behaviour has improved significantly. However, the quality of education pupils receive is inconsistent, with some variation in how well the curriculum is taught across different subjects and lessons.

At a Glance

57.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

24.1

Avg class size

24

Total classes

2 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Five Ways Rail Station
447m · 7 min walk
Birmingham New Street Rail Station
744m · 12 min walk
Birmingham Moor Street Rail Station
1.2km · 20 min walk

Tube / Metro / Tram

Brindleyplace (West Midlands Metro) (Platform 2)
604m · 10 min walk
Five Ways (West Midlands Metro) (Platform 2)
623m · 10 min walk
Centenary Square (West Midlands Metro) (Platform 1)
700m · 11 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

74%

Available places

554 pupils

750 capacity

196 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham

Low pressure
New homes approved:19,703
Projected new pupils:3,547

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Birmingham

Admissions Demand - Birmingham

Low demand0.99x oversubscription

Places available

15,089

Applications

14,943

Got 1st preference

73.6%

Got preferred school

96.8%

Secondary admissions across Birmingham (2025/26)

Inspection History(8)

Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

10.66906%

Overall absence

34.23295%

Persistent absence

704

Enrolments

Authorised4.26301%
Unauthorised6.40605%
Persistent (10%+)34.23295%
Severe (50%+)5.11364%

Absence trend

8.6347%
20/21
10.45756%
21/22
12.43722%
22/23
12.40145%
23/24
10.66906%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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