Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Academy converter
Fairfax
- Pupils on roll
- 1,581of 1,584 places
- Free school meals
- 23.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 255
- Ofsted
- Good, 21 May 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Fairfax School (URN 103557, until 1 July 2011).
What the data says
Of the 246 pupils who finished Year 11 at Fairfax in 2023, 50% stayed on in Fairfax’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 35% went to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 133 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 63% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 16% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Statistics is unusually popular at GCSE: 26% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 49.1 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 | Fairfax | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 246 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 50% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | — | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 35% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 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 | Fairfax | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 133 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 63% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 16% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 4% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 17% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Fairfax | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 49.1 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 53% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 75% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 29% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.32 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 24% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 40.7 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.7 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 9% | 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 | 255 | 100% | 89% | 18% | 20% | 76% |
| Mathematics | 255 | 100% | 88% | 17% | 22% | 81% |
| English Literature | 254 | 100% | 86% | 15% | 21% | 77% |
| Combined Science | 152 | 60% | 65% | 2% | 9% | 61% |
| History | 131 | 51% | 41% | 20% | 26% | 69% |
| Geography | 119 | 47% | 41% | 17% | 25% | 63% |
| Business Studies | 105 | 41% | 18% | 24% | 20% | 75% |
| Biology | 103 | 40% | 23% | 33% | 45% | 99% |
| Chemistry | 102 | 40% | 23% | 32% | 47% | 98% |
| Physics | 102 | 40% | 23% | 24% | 46% | 94% |
| Statistics | 66 | 26% | 5% | 2% | 20% | 79% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 56 | 22% | 8% | 32% | 21% | 79% |
| Art and Design | 46 | 18% | 7% | 24% | 24% | 83% |
| Design and Technology | 38 | 15% | 11% | 3% | 23% | 24% |
| Physical Education | 37 | 15% | 11% | 16% | 24% | 78% |
| French | 35 | 14% | 18% | 37% | 29% | 94% |
| German | 28 | 11% | 5% | 7% | 33% | 89% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 10% | 13% | 35% | 30% | 77% |
| Drama | 21 | 8% | 7% | 5% | 27% | 76% |
| Music | 13 | 5% | 5% | 15% | 33% | 85% |
| Religious Studies | 10 | 4% | 31% | 20% | 32% | 90% |
| Chinese | 9 | 4% | 1% | 89% | 75% | 100% |
| Russian | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 52 | 44% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 35 | 29% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Fairfax | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 272 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 119 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 34.16 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 8% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 51 | 43% | 23% |
| Sociology | 36 | 30% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 34 | 29% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 28 | 24% | 31% |
| History | 25 | 21% | 13% |
| Law | 20 | 17% | 4% |
| Biology | 17 | 14% | 20% |
| Accounting/Finance | 17 | 14% | 1% |
| Economics | 17 | 14% | 13% |
| English Language | 10 | 8% | 4% |
| Chemistry | 10 | 8% | 17% |
| Physics | 8 | 7% | 12% |
| Geography | 6 | 5% | 10% |
| Art and Design | 6 | 5% | 1% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 20 | 17% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 11% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 12 | 10% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 8% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 6 | 5% | — |
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.