SchoolChecker

Holyhead School

Milestone Lane, Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands · B21 0HN

SecondaryAcademy converterMixedAges 11–181,271 pupilsCENTRAL REGION SCHOOLS TRUST
Visit website ↗01215231960Ward: E05011147MP: E14001098
Ofsted
Good

Feb 2020

Attainment 8A pupil’s average score across 8 GCSE subjects (English and maths double-weighted). Higher is better; the maximum is roughly 90.
43.2

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.
58.9%

2024-25

Pupils per teacher
15.8

2025-26

Spend per pupil
£8,288

2024-25

Places filled
102%

1,271 of 1,250 places · 2025-26

Ofsted

Last inspected 4 February 2020

Overall effectivenessGood
Sixth form
Good
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.↑ +1.4

Average GCSE score across 8 subjects

41.8
'18-19
44.4
'21-22
40.8
'22-23
41.4
'23-24
43.2
'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.↑ +6%

A strong pass in both

27%
'18-19
41%
'21-22
38%
'22-23
39%
'23-24
33%
'24-25

Grade 4+ in English & Maths↑ +7%

A standard pass in both

50%
'18-19
65%
'21-22
55%
'22-23
61%
'23-24
57%
'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.↓ -0.14

Vs similar pupils nationally · 0 = average

0.10
'18-19
0.06
'21-22
-0.25
'22-23
-0.04
'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).↑ +0.22

3.57
'18-19
3.91
'21-22
3.64
'22-23
3.58
'23-24
3.79
'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.

+2.3 vs Birmingham average

This school43.2
Birmingham average40.9
Best in Birmingham80.4
England average39.2

Grade 5+ in English & Maths

-5.3% vs Birmingham average

This school33.2%
Birmingham average38.5%
Best in Birmingham99.4%
England average36.0%

A-level & 16–18 results

Sixth-form attainment

A-level average point score↑ +3.5

Per entry

29.9
'18-19
34.5
'21-22
32.3
'22-23
30.7
'23-24
33.4
'24-25

Academic average point score↑ +3.1

29.8
'18-19
34.5
'21-22
32.4
'22-23
30.8
'23-24
32.9
'24-25

How this school compares

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

A-level average point score

+1.2 vs Birmingham average

This school33.4
Birmingham average32.2
Best in Birmingham51.7
England average33.8

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.
58.9%
English as 2nd lang.English as an Additional Language: pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English.
74.2%
SEN supportSpecial Educational Needs support: pupils who get extra help in school but do not have an Education, Health and Care plan.
0.3%
With EHC planEducation, Health and Care plan: a legal document for children with more significant needs, setting out the support a council must provide.
26.3%

Gender split

47%
53%

594 girls · 677 boys

Ethnicity

Pakistani
21.2%
Indian
18.9%
Bangladeshi
17.2%
African
9.6%
Caribbean
7.2%
Other White
6.1%
Other ethnic group
4.9%
Other Mixed
4.6%
Other Black
2.4%
Unclassified
2.0%
Other Asian
1.4%
White British
1.3%

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.

+18.3% vs Birmingham average

This school58.9%
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.

+39.1% vs Birmingham average

This school74.2%
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.

-10.9% vs Birmingham average

This school0.3%
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.

+11.3% vs Birmingham average

This school26.3%
Birmingham average15.0%
England average14.6%

Attendance & absence

Share of school sessions missed

Overall absence rate↑ +1.4%

5.3%
'18-19
9.0%
'21-22
9.0%
'22-23
7.5%
'23-24
6.7%
'24-25

Persistent absenceThe percentage of pupils who miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions across the year.↑ +4.5%

Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions

12.6%
'18-19
29.9%
'21-22
30.4%
'22-23
22.0%
'23-24
17.1%
'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.

-2.9% vs Birmingham average

This school17.1%
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.↑ +3.4%

Total suspensions as a share of pupils

1.3%
'16-17
1.0%
'17-18
3.3%
'18-19
3.6%
'19-20
4.5%
'20-21
3.0%
'21-22
5.0%
'22-23
4.5%
'23-24
4.7%
'24-25

Pupils suspended at least once↑ +2.7%

Share of pupils with one or more suspension

1.3%
'16-17
1.0%
'17-18
2.4%
'18-19
3.0%
'19-20
3.7%
'20-21
2.7%
'21-22
4.5%
'22-23
3.8%
'23-24
4.0%
'24-25

Permanent exclusion rateThe percentage of pupils permanently excluded (expelled) from the school during the year.↑ +0.16%

0.00%
'16-17
0.00%
'17-18
0.08%
'18-19
0.23%
'19-20
0.00%
'20-21
0.00%
'21-22
0.00%
'22-23
0.00%
'23-24
0.16%
'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.

+2.3% vs Birmingham average

This school4.7%
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.

+0.11% vs Birmingham average

This school0.16%
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 87%Apprenticeship 2%Employment 1%Not sustained 6%

After 16–18 (Key Stage 5)

90% sustained

Sixth-form leavers · 2024-25

Education 74%Further education 1%Apprenticeship 3%Employment 8%Not sustained 10%

The local area

Neighbourhood context around the school in Birmingham

Median house price
£190,000

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
263

~1 mile · 6m to 2026-04

Degree-level+
20%

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
1/10
Education
2/10
Health
1/10
Crime
2/10

Crime by type

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

Violence and sexual offences
88
Shoplifting
50
Vehicle crime
30
Other theft
19
Public order
16
Criminal damage and arson
13
Robbery
12
Possession of weapons
11

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 137034