Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Academy sponsor led
Harborne Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 627of 600 places
- Free school meals
- 54.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 119
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 16 November 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Harborne Hill School (URN 103496, until 1 September 2010).
What the data says
Harborne Academy has no sixth form. Of the 122 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 11% moved to a sixth form college, 51% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Physics is unusually popular at GCSE: 45% of the year group took it, against 23% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 44.6 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 44% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
As an 11–16 school, Harborne Academy is judged on where pupils go at 16 rather than on A level results.
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 | Harborne Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 122 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 89% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 26% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 11% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 51% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 6% | 4% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Harborne Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.6 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 44% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 45% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.01 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 56% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 38.9 | 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 | 24% | 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 | 119 | 100% | 89% | 13% | 20% | 68% |
| Mathematics | 119 | 100% | 88% | 18% | 22% | 65% |
| English Literature | 119 | 100% | 86% | 12% | 21% | 72% |
| History | 73 | 61% | 41% | 16% | 26% | 59% |
| Combined Science | 66 | 55% | 65% | 6% | 9% | 33% |
| Physics | 53 | 45% | 23% | 26% | 46% | 77% |
| Chemistry | 52 | 44% | 23% | 27% | 47% | 79% |
| Biology | 52 | 44% | 23% | 25% | 45% | 81% |
| Geography | 46 | 39% | 41% | 22% | 25% | 65% |
| Business Studies | 27 | 23% | 18% | 7% | 20% | 70% |
| Spanish | 27 | 23% | 19% | 4% | 27% | 52% |
| 3D Design | 22 | 18% | 2% | 0% | 16% | 36% |
| French | 22 | 18% | 18% | 14% | 29% | 68% |
| Religious Studies | 20 | 17% | 31% | 15% | 32% | 70% |
| Drama | 19 | 16% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 32% |
| Art and Design | 19 | 16% | 7% | 11% | 24% | 53% |
| Music | 13 | 11% | 5% | 23% | 33% | 46% |
| Arabic | 5 | 4% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Urdu | 2 | 2% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 1 | 1% | 8% | — | 21% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 42 | — | — |
| Small Business Management | 25 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 23 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 19 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 13 | — | — |
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.