Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Foundation school
Colmers School and Sixth Form College
- Pupils on roll
- 1,139of 1,400 places
- Free school meals
- 55.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 211
- Ofsted
- Report card, 3 March 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Expected standardInclusion Expected standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Expected standardSafeguarding Met
What the data says
Of the 215 pupils who finished Year 11 at Colmers School and Sixth Form College in 2023, 10% stayed on in Colmers School and Sixth Form College’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 67% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 33 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 39% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 8% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Art and Design is unusually popular at GCSE: 24% of the year group took it, against 7% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.7 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 31% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 | 215 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 86% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 80% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 10% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 67% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 6% | 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 | 33 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 79% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 39% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 8% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 30% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 18% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.7 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 31% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 52% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 11% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.47 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 51% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.0 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.5 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 210 | 100% | 88% | 15% | 22% | 60% |
| English Language | 210 | 100% | 89% | 8% | 20% | 62% |
| English Literature | 209 | 99% | 86% | 10% | 21% | 56% |
| Religious Studies | 194 | 92% | 31% | 10% | 32% | 46% |
| Combined Science | 154 | 73% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 40% |
| History | 114 | 54% | 41% | 17% | 26% | 45% |
| Geography | 103 | 49% | 41% | 11% | 25% | 51% |
| Art and Design | 50 | 24% | 7% | 16% | 24% | 64% |
| Physics | 49 | 23% | 23% | 47% | 46% | 94% |
| Biology | 48 | 23% | 23% | 40% | 45% | 98% |
| Chemistry | 48 | 23% | 23% | 52% | 47% | 98% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 41 | 19% | 8% | 12% | 21% | 54% |
| Computer Science | 31 | 15% | 13% | 55% | 30% | 87% |
| Drama | 19 | 9% | 7% | 11% | 27% | 58% |
| Graphic Communication | 16 | 8% | 1% | 13% | 23% | 94% |
| Spanish | 12 | 6% | 19% | 0% | 27% | 25% |
| Dance | 10 | 5% | 1% | 0% | 27% | 40% |
| Film Studies | 8 | 4% | 1% | 38% | 20% | 63% |
| French | 7 | 3% | 18% | 29% | 29% | 86% |
| Statistics | 6 | 3% | 5% | 50% | 20% | 100% |
| Russian | 4 | 2% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Chinese | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Business Studies | 1 | 0% | 18% | — | 20% | — |
| Fine Art | 1 | 0% | 9% | — | 28% | — |
| Sociology | 1 | 0% | 4% | — | 21% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Studies | 45 | 100% | — |
| Small Business Management | 44 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 36 | 100% | — |
| Sports Studies | 29 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 13 | 65% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 9 | 45% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 63 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 20 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.00 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 5% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| History | 10 | 50% | 13% |
| Psychology | 9 | 45% | 23% |
| Biology | 7 | 35% | 20% |
| Mathematics | 6 | 30% | 31% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Sociology | — | — | 13% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
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.