Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School has demonstrated overall good performance, characterized by a high-quality education and strong leadership. The school's curriculum is broad and ambitious, fostering relationships built on respect and a positive learning environment where pupils feel safe and supported. Despite the high aspirations set by the leaders, some challenges remain, such as a few instances of behavioural issues in classrooms and concerns regarding regular school attendance among certain pupils. The school is also working to enhance its reading support for weaker readers, acknowledging that improvements in this area are necessary for better outcomes.

Strengths

• High aspirations for every pupil
• Broad and ambitious curriculum
• Warm and respectful relationships among pupils and staff
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Rich and diverse extra-curricular programme
• Effective personal, social, health and economic education

Areas for Improvement

• Lack of a rigorous approach to support for struggling readers
• Inconsistent checking for understanding by some teachers
• Concerns about attendance among some pupils
• Ineffective communication with a minority of parents

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 Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School attended 88.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 38.3% 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, 22.2% of pupils at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School had 13.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.5% 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, 9.8% of pupils at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.1% 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 Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School received £8,684 and spent £9,466 for each of its 774 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,553,000 (£2,006 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Matrix Academy Trust, income was £8,375 and spending £9,033 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

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School is part of Matrix Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Turves Green Boys' School Birmingham
• Barr Beacon School Walsall
• Elmwood School Walsall
• Bloxwich Academy Walsall
• Pool Hayes Primary School Willenhall
• Wednesfield Academy Wolverhampton
• Smestow Academy Wolverhampton
• Etone College Nuneaton

What is Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School have?

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School has 774 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School cover?

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.9, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School?

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School is at Woodbrooke Road, Bournville, Birmingham, West Midlands, B30 1UL.