Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Academy converter
Fortis Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,210of 2,124 places
- Free school meals
- 54.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 277
- Ofsted
- Good, 24 October 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Great Barr School (URN 103550, until 1 October 2016).
What the data says
Of the 313 pupils who finished Year 11 at Fortis Academy in 2023, 27% stayed on in Fortis Academy’s own sixth form (Birmingham average 33%), 55% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 88 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 69% went to university (Birmingham 46%, England 37%), and 33% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Statistics is unusually popular at GCSE: 38% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 37.9 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 27% 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 | Fortis Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 313 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 86% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 84% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 27% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 55% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 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 | Fortis Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 88 | 10,326 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 78% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 69% | 46% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 33% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 7% | 17% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Fortis Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 37.9 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 27% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 49% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 13% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.14 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 56% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 33.3 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 43.9 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 33% | 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 | 279 | 100% | 89% | 9% | 20% | 55% |
| Mathematics | 278 | 100% | 88% | 8% | 22% | 53% |
| Combined Science | 264 | 95% | 65% | 8% | 9% | 49% |
| English Literature | 262 | 95% | 86% | 11% | 21% | 66% |
| Geography | 107 | 39% | 41% | 7% | 25% | 36% |
| Statistics | 106 | 38% | 5% | 8% | 20% | 67% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 88 | 32% | 8% | 1% | 21% | 41% |
| History | 76 | 27% | 41% | 12% | 26% | 54% |
| Physical Education | 73 | 26% | 11% | 4% | 24% | 49% |
| Spanish | 62 | 22% | 19% | 16% | 27% | 42% |
| Religious Studies | 48 | 17% | 31% | 29% | 32% | 63% |
| Photography | 38 | 14% | 6% | 0% | 19% | 95% |
| Italian | 11 | 4% | 0% | 100% | 53% | 100% |
| Urdu | 7 | 3% | 1% | 29% | 42% | 100% |
| Biology | 5 | 2% | 23% | — | 45% | — |
| Physics | 5 | 2% | 23% | — | 46% | — |
| Chemistry | 5 | 2% | 23% | — | 47% | — |
| Polish | 4 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Arabic | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Punjabi | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Bengali | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 35% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| German | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| French | 1 | 0% | 18% | — | 29% | — |
| Business Studies | 1 | 0% | 18% | — | 20% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 56 | 86% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 44 | 68% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 31 | 48% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 21 | 32% | — |
| Dance: General | 13 | 20% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 1 | 2% | — |
| Personal Health | 1 | 2% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 1 | 2% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Fortis Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 160 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 65 | 4,724 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.63 | 34.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 6% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 16 | 25% | 31% |
| Law | 15 | 23% | 4% |
| English Literature | 14 | 22% | 11% |
| Economics | 14 | 22% | 13% |
| History | 13 | 20% | 13% |
| Mathematics (Statistics) | 12 | 18% | 0% |
| Psychology | 10 | 15% | 23% |
| Chemistry | 9 | 14% | 17% |
| English Language and Literature | 8 | 12% | 2% |
| Biology | 8 | 12% | 20% |
| Physics | 8 | 12% | 12% |
| Art and Design | 7 | 11% | 1% |
| Drama | 7 | 11% | 2% |
| Sociology | 6 | 9% | 13% |
| Punjabi | — | — | 0% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 18 | 28% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 17 | 26% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 10 | 15% | — |
| Engineering Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 10 | 15% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 9 | 14% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Birmingham
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Ark St Alban's Academy
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Ark Victoria Academy
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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.