SchoolChecker

Ark Boulton Academy

Golden Hillock Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, West Midlands · B11 2QG

SecondaryAcademy sponsor ledMixedAges 11–16870 pupilsARK SCHOOLS
Visit website ↗01217738156Ward: E05011170MP: E14001094
Ofsted
Good

Jun 2024

Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.
44.2

GCSE · 2024-25

Overall absence
6.7%

2024-25

Free school mealsFree School Meals: the share of pupils eligible for free school meals — a common measure of disadvantage.
55.5%

2024-25

Pupils per teacher
14.1

2025-26

Spend per pupil
£9,710

2024-25

Places filled
97%

870 of 900 places · 2025-26

Ofsted

Last inspected 25 June 2024

Overall effectivenessGood
Personal development
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Read the full Ofsted report ↗

GCSE results (Key Stage 4)

All state-funded pupils

Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.↑ +0.7

Average GCSE score across 8 subjects

43.5
'18-19
41.5
'21-22
40.2
'22-23
38.2
'23-24
44.2
'24-25

Grade 5+ in English & MathsThe percentage of pupils achieving at least a grade 5 (a “strong pass”) in both GCSE English and maths.↑ +9%

A strong pass in both

33%
'18-19
46%
'21-22
40%
'22-23
27%
'23-24
42%
'24-25

Grade 4+ in English & Maths↑ +10%

A standard pass in both

58%
'18-19
62%
'21-22
62%
'22-23
51%
'23-24
68%
'24-25

Progress 8How much pupils progress from the end of primary to GCSE compared with similar pupils nationally. 0 is average; positive is above, negative is below.↓ -0.64

Vs similar pupils nationally · 0 = average

0.15
'18-19
-0.12
'21-22
-0.38
'22-23
-0.49
'23-24
—
'24-25

EBacc average point scoreEnglish Baccalaureate Average Point Score: average grade across the core academic EBacc subjects (English, maths, sciences, a language, history or geography).↓ -0.11

4.03
'18-19
3.65
'21-22
3.61
'22-23
3.53
'23-24
3.92
'24-25

Progress 8 was not published for 2019/20, 2020/21 (exams cancelled) or recent years lacking a KS2 baseline.

How this school compares

Against Birmingham (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.

+3.3 vs Birmingham average

This school44.2
Birmingham average40.9
Best in Birmingham80.4
England average39.2

Grade 5+ in English & Maths

+3.8% vs Birmingham average

This school42.3%
Birmingham average38.5%
Best in Birmingham99.4%
England average36.0%

Pupil makeup

Spring school census · 2024-25

Free school mealsFree School Meals: the share of pupils eligible for free school meals — a common measure of disadvantage.
55.5%
English as 2nd lang.English as an Additional Language: pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English.
55.2%
SEN supportSpecial Educational Needs support: pupils who get extra help in school but do not have an Education, Health and Care plan.
1.3%
With EHC planEducation, Health and Care plan: a legal document for children with more significant needs, setting out the support a council must provide.
15.1%

Gender split

43%
57%

371 girls · 499 boys

Ethnicity

Pakistani
46.3%
Other ethnic group
19.3%
Bangladeshi
9.8%
African
7.9%
Other White
4.5%
Other Mixed
3.4%
Unclassified
2.1%
White & Asian
2.1%
Other Asian
1.7%
Indian
1.1%
Gypsy/Roma
0.8%
White British
0.7%

Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

How this school compares

Against Birmingham (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

Free school mealsFree School Meals: the share of pupils eligible for free school meals — a common measure of disadvantage.

+14.9% vs Birmingham average

This school55.5%
Birmingham average40.6%
England average23.2%

English as 2nd lang.English as an Additional Language: pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English.

+20.1% vs Birmingham average

This school55.2%
Birmingham average35.1%
England average16.4%

SEN supportSpecial Educational Needs support: pupils who get extra help in school but do not have an Education, Health and Care plan.

-9.9% vs Birmingham average

This school1.3%
Birmingham average11.2%
England average11.2%

With EHC planEducation, Health and Care plan: a legal document for children with more significant needs, setting out the support a council must provide.

+0.1% vs Birmingham average

This school15.1%
Birmingham average15.0%
England average14.6%

Attendance & absence

Share of school sessions missed

Overall absence rate↑ +2.9%

3.8%
'18-19
11.1%
'21-22
11.0%
'22-23
9.1%
'23-24
6.7%
'24-25

Persistent absenceThe percentage of pupils who miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions across the year.↑ +12.7%

Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions

7.9%
'18-19
37.0%
'21-22
40.4%
'22-23
32.5%
'23-24
20.6%
'24-25

How this school compares

Against Birmingham (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

Overall absence rate

-0.3% vs Birmingham average

This school6.7%
Birmingham average7.0%
Best in Birmingham2.6%
England average6.2%

Persistent absenceThe percentage of pupils who miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions across the year.

+0.6% vs Birmingham average

This school20.6%
Birmingham average20.0%
Best in Birmingham1.6%
England average15.8%

Suspensions & exclusions

As a percentage of pupils on roll

Suspension rateThe number of suspensions (fixed-period exclusions) expressed as a percentage of pupils on roll. A pupil can be suspended more than once.↑ +1.5%

Total suspensions as a share of pupils

1.8%
'16-17
0.0%
'17-18
0.3%
'18-19
3.8%
'19-20
0.8%
'20-21
3.6%
'21-22
7.1%
'22-23
13.0%
'23-24
3.3%
'24-25

Pupils suspended at least once↑ +1.4%

Share of pupils with one or more suspension

1.8%
'16-17
0.0%
'17-18
0.3%
'18-19
3.1%
'19-20
0.7%
'20-21
3.1%
'21-22
5.6%
'22-23
10.7%
'23-24
3.2%
'24-25

Permanent exclusion rateThe percentage of pupils permanently excluded (expelled) from the school during the year.↓ -0.11%

0.11%
'16-17
0.00%
'17-18
0.00%
'18-19
0.22%
'19-20
0.00%
'20-21
0.11%
'21-22
0.44%
'22-23
0.11%
'23-24
0.00%
'24-25

How this school compares

Against Birmingham (its local authority) and England · 2024-25

Suspension rateThe number of suspensions (fixed-period exclusions) expressed as a percentage of pupils on roll. A pupil can be suspended more than once.

+0.9% vs Birmingham average

This school3.3%
Birmingham average2.4%
Best in Birmingham0.0%
England average2.5%

Permanent exclusion rateThe percentage of pupils permanently excluded (expelled) from the school during the year.

-0.05% vs Birmingham average

This school0.00%
Birmingham average0.05%
Best in Birmingham0.00%
England average0.03%

What pupils do next

Sustained destinations the year after leaving

After GCSEs (Key Stage 4)

90% sustained

Year 11 leavers · 2024-25

Education 90%Not sustained 3%

The local area

Neighbourhood context around the school in Birmingham

Median house price
£170,000

2023 · England £295,000

DeprivationIndex of Multiple Deprivation: the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas. Areas are split into deciles, where 1 is the most-deprived 10% in England and 10 the least.
1/10

10 = least deprived

Claimant rateThe share of residents aged 16–64 claiming unemployment-related benefits (the claimant count) — a timely local proxy for unemployment.
10.0%

April 2026 · England 4.1%

Recorded crimes
110

~1 mile · 6m to 2026-04

Degree-level+
21%

Residents 16+ · Census 2021

Deprivation (IMD) Index of Multiple Deprivation: the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas. Areas are split into deciles, where 1 is the most-deprived 10% in England and 10 the least.

Among the most deprived areas in England · 1 = most deprived 10%, 10 = least

Overall
1/10
Income
1/10
Employment
2/10
Education
1/10
Health
2/10
Crime
5/10

Crime by type

Street-level reports within ~1 mile · 6m to 2026-04

Violence and sexual offences
57
Vehicle crime
11
Drugs
9
Other theft
8
Criminal damage and arson
7
Other crime
6
Public order
5
Anti social behaviour
3

Area figures describe the neighbourhood around the school (LSOA/MSOA), not the school itself. Sources: ONS, Home Office (data.police.uk), MHCLG — Open Government Licence v3.0.

Data last updated 06/06/2026 · URN 140014