Holyhead School

Holyhead School has been rated as 'Good' in its latest Ofsted inspection, which reflects a significant change from its previous 'Outstanding' grade from 2013. Although the school demonstrates strong leadership and a supportive environment that fosters positive pupil experiences, some areas require improvement to ensure consistent academic performance across all subjects. The long gap since the last inspection may have influenced the current academic standards, particularly in mathematics and modern foreign languages.

Strengths

• Strong commitment from leaders, teachers, and governors to improve pupils' life chances.
• High levels of pupil enjoyment and safety reported by students and parents.
• Effective support for pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• Broad curriculum with a variety of subjects and qualifications available.
• Nurturing environment for pupils with SEND, with dedicated support strategies in place.
• Students in the sixth form achieve well and receive strong pastoral and academic support.
• Effective safeguarding measures ensuring pupil safety.

Areas for Improvement

• Variability in academic outcomes at the end of key stage 4, particularly in some subjects.
• Inconsistent quality of subject teaching leading to uneven pupil achievement.
• High number of permanent exclusions compared to the national average.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Holyhead School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 9.5% of pupils at Holyhead School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Holyhead School had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 26.6% of pupils at Holyhead School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Holyhead School received £8,843 and spent £8,709 for each of its 1,276 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £326,000 (£255 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of Central Region Schools Trust, income was £7,890 and spending £7,931 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Birmingham · Birmingham local authority: places and applications

Holyhead School is part of Central Region Schools Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Gospel Oak School Tipton
• Waseley Hills High School Birmingham
• Abbeywood First School Redditch
• Church Hill Middle School Redditch
• St Stephen's CofE First School Redditch
• Arrow Valley First School Redditch
• Ipsley CofE Middle School Redditch
• Oak Hill First School Redditch
• Arrow Vale High School Redditch
• Matchborough First School Academy Redditch

What is Holyhead School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holyhead School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Holyhead School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holyhead School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Holyhead School have?

Holyhead School has 1,257 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holyhead School cover?

Holyhead School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Holyhead School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.6, and 41% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Holyhead School?

Holyhead School is at Milestone Lane, Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands, B21 0HN.