Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Academy sponsor led
Arena Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 969of 900 places
- Free school meals
- 41.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 233
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 12 November 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Arena Academy (URN 138141, until 28 February 2018).
What the data says
Arena Academy has no sixth form. Of the 179 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 3% moved to a sixth form college, 63% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 44.5 against 46.1 across England and 46.6 in Birmingham, with 40% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Languages are a small part of the curriculum here: entries in French and Spanish add up to 6% of the year group, and 7% of pupils entered the full EBacc set of subjects (England 41%).
As an 11–16 school, Arena 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 | Arena Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 179 | 14,526 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 89% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 23% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 3% | 13% | 13% |
| — further education college | 63% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 4% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Arena Academy | Birmingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.5 | 46.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 40% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 7% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.71 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 39% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 40.7 | 40.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.9 | 52.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 16% | 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 | 231 | 99% | 89% | 13% | 20% | 73% |
| Mathematics | 231 | 99% | 88% | 12% | 22% | 67% |
| English Literature | 230 | 99% | 86% | 11% | 21% | 77% |
| Combined Science | 197 | 85% | 65% | 6% | 9% | 56% |
| History | 118 | 51% | 41% | 21% | 26% | 70% |
| Geography | 108 | 46% | 41% | 5% | 25% | 38% |
| Business Studies | 72 | 31% | 18% | 17% | 20% | 68% |
| Religious Studies | 57 | 24% | 31% | 26% | 32% | 84% |
| Psychology | 52 | 22% | 3% | 6% | 22% | 63% |
| Biology | 34 | 15% | 23% | 47% | 45% | 91% |
| Chemistry | 33 | 14% | 23% | 61% | 47% | 94% |
| Physics | 33 | 14% | 23% | 55% | 46% | 91% |
| Sociology | 30 | 13% | 4% | 3% | 21% | 50% |
| Physical Education | 29 | 12% | 11% | 14% | 24% | 90% |
| Fine Art | 28 | 12% | 9% | 21% | 28% | 82% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 11% | 13% | 31% | 30% | 62% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 21 | 9% | 8% | 19% | 21% | 57% |
| Photography | 12 | 5% | 6% | 25% | 19% | 92% |
| French | 12 | 5% | 18% | 67% | 29% | 83% |
| Design and Technology | 10 | 4% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 20% |
| Punjabi | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Spanish | 2 | 1% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Italian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 57 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 18 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 16 | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | 10 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Birmingham
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
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.