South and City College Birmingham, Birmingham

Ofsted's report card from its 28 April 2026 inspection grades South and City College Birmingham on 6 areas: 3 expected standard and 3 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Contribution to meeting skills needs - Expected standard. "Leaders work effectively with a range of stakeholders to understand local and regional skills needs."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a supportive and inclusive culture."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Although leaders have swiftly increased the number of learners and apprentices who achieve their qualifications, their actions to improve some individual courses further have not had an impact."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have taken purposeful action to improve the quality of their curriculum and the standard of teaching."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Although leaders have improved the overall qualification achievement rates over the last 3 years and achievement is now just below the national rate, too few learners make progress from their starting points in GCSE English and mathematics."

Participation and development - Needs attention. "Too many learners do not arrive to their lessons on time or attend college routinely."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff have high expectations for learners' attendance. They should work closely with managers and staff to improve attendance for young people and adults"; "Leaders should continue to take action to improve the proportion of apprentices who complete their apprenticeship on time and achieve merit and distinction grades"; "Leaders should improve the careers education, advice and guidance for apprentices so that they are aware of the wider opportunities available to them on completion of their apprenticeship"; "Leaders should ensure that young people make sufficient progress in GCSE English and mathematics"; "Leaders should improve the quality of information that they provide to governors so that governors can provide effective scrutiny and challenge"; "Leaders should further strengthen their approach to supporting learners with barriers to learning so that these learners receive this support consistently"; "Leaders should continue to strengthen links with employers so that employers provide valuable input into all curriculums and these remain up to date in relation to industry needs"; "Leaders should continue to strengthen professional development for teachers so that learners experience high-quality teaching in all curriculum areas".

In 2026, pupils at South and City College Birmingham averaged an Attainment 8 score of 16.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.5 in Birmingham and 47 across England.

11% 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 16.3.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -2.62: 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.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 13 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Social Studies, Combined Science and Business Studies.

Of the 127 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 67% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 65% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 1873 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 12% went on to university or other higher education, 5% to apprenticeships and 20% into work. 3% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Digbeth High Street (West Midlands Metro), about 80 metres away (roughly a 1-minute walk).

40 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gibb Street (adjacent), 100 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood South and City College Birmingham stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 1514 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Birmingham (435), as is usual near a town centre.