King Edward VI Aston School

King Edward VI Aston School is a selective boys' grammar school in Aston, Birmingham, and is part of King Edward Multi Academy Trust. This full inspection found the school performing very strongly across every area inspected, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils achieve well above national averages in public examinations, including disadvantaged pupils, and sixth-form students progress successfully to ambitious destinations. The school is highly inclusive: pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils access the full curriculum and achieve well, with leaders using pupil premium funding strategically. Teaching is consistently strong, the curriculum is broad and ambitious, and attendance and behaviour are excellent. Personal development, careers guidance, enrichment and leadership opportunities are extensive, and staff, governance and trust support are highly effective. Parents are very positive about the school. No significant weaknesses were identified. The report's only next step is for leaders to continue improving curriculum implementation so that it has a transformational impact on the learning and achievement of all pupils and students, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve above national averages in public examinations, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils with SEND make excellent progress from their starting points.
• Teaching develops strong foundational reading and writing skills and consistently high-quality work.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and logically sequenced across all year groups and the sixth form.
• Teachers have expert subject knowledge and adapt teaching effectively for SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Attendance is very high, and pupils attend regularly because they enjoy school.
• Behaviour is excellent, with respectful relationships and no tolerance of discrimination.
• The school is highly inclusive, with swift identification of needs and rigorous support.
• Pupil premium funding is used strategically to support learning, wellbeing and participation.
• Personal development is well designed, covering safety, British values, equality and health.
• Careers advice and guidance are highly effective, leading to ambitious destinations.
• Extra-curricular enrichment is extensive and accessible, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership, governance and trust support are highly effective and ambitious.
• Staff are well supported, and parents are highly positive about communication and care.
• Sixth-form provision is ambitious, well taught and leads to strong outcomes and destinations.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation should continue to improve so that it has a transformational impact on the learning and achievement of all pupils and students, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.

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 King Edward VI Aston School attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.4% 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, 5.3% of pupils at King Edward VI Aston School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 King Edward VI Aston School had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.2% 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, 10.7% of pupils at King Edward VI Aston School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.3% 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 King Edward VI Aston School received £8,305 and spent £7,997 for each of its 995 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,310,000 (£2,321 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of King Edward Vi Academy Trust Birmingham, income was £8,047 and spending £7,927 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

King Edward VI Aston School is part of King Edward Vi Academy Trust Birmingham, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• King Edward VI Handsworth School Birmingham
• King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy Birmingham
• King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys Birmingham
• King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls Birmingham
• King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls Birmingham
• King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys Birmingham
• King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy Birmingham
• King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys Birmingham
• King Edward VI Five Ways School Birmingham
• King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls Birmingham

What is King Edward VI Aston School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for King Edward VI Aston School is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was King Edward VI Aston School last inspected by Ofsted?

King Edward VI Aston School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does King Edward VI Aston School have?

King Edward VI Aston School has 1,023 pupils on roll.

What age range does King Edward VI Aston School cover?

King Edward VI Aston School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are King Edward VI Aston School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 69.9, and 99% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is King Edward VI Aston School?

King Edward VI Aston School is at Frederick Road, Aston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B6 6DJ.