Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Academy sponsor led
Ark St Alban's Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 797of 800 places
- Free school meals
- 77.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 156
- Ofsted
- Good, 14 May 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: St Albans CofE Specialist Engineering College (URN 103532, until 1 September 2009).
What the data says
Of the 133 pupils who finished Year 11 at Ark St Alban's Academy in 2023, 53% stayed on in Ark St Alban's Academy’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 23% went to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.
Among the 76 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 75% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 41% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 99% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 46.9 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 53% 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 | Ark St Alban's Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 133 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 91% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 53% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 16% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 23% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 5% | 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 | Ark St Alban's Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 76 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 86% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 75% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 41% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 5% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Ark St Alban's Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 46.9 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 53% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 43% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.21 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 72% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 45.0 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.8 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 67% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 156 | 100% | 89% | 9% | 20% | 71% |
| Mathematics | 156 | 100% | 88% | 13% | 22% | 72% |
| Religious Studies | 155 | 99% | 31% | 25% | 32% | 70% |
| English Literature | 155 | 99% | 86% | 26% | 21% | 85% |
| Geography | 155 | 99% | 41% | 9% | 25% | 52% |
| Combined Science | 152 | 97% | 65% | 14% | 9% | 65% |
| French | 67 | 43% | 18% | 13% | 29% | 75% |
| Business Studies | 50 | 32% | 18% | 14% | 20% | 72% |
| History | 41 | 26% | 41% | 15% | 26% | 34% |
| Computer Science | 21 | 13% | 13% | 5% | 30% | 43% |
| Fine Art | 18 | 12% | 9% | 17% | 28% | 94% |
| Design and Technology | 18 | 12% | 11% | 17% | 23% | 61% |
| Biology | 4 | 3% | 23% | — | 45% | — |
| Chemistry | 4 | 3% | 23% | — | 47% | — |
| Physics | 4 | 3% | 23% | — | 46% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Mathematics FSMQ | 1 | 3% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Ark St Alban's Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 146 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 31 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 37.89 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 29% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 19 | 61% | 17% |
| Mathematics | 18 | 58% | 31% |
| Biology | 17 | 55% | 20% |
| Psychology | 12 | 39% | 23% |
| Sociology | 10 | 32% | 13% |
| Religious Studies | 7 | 23% | 4% |
| History | 6 | 19% | 13% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Arabic | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 30 | 97% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 16 | 52% | — |
| Computer Science | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Computer Science | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
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 Victoria Academy
Free schools · 1,519 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.4
Aston Manor Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 990 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.6
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.