SCHOOL PROFILE

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School

Secondary Voluntary aided school URN 103539
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 645 Published school capacity
Capacity used 122.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

14 April 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Strong standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Strong standard
Personal development Strong standard
Leadership & governance Strong standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

7 October 2021
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 10 November 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Voluntary aided school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Birmingham
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 788 788 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 399 50.6% of pupils
Male pupils 389 49.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

46.8%
22.0 pts above England
School 46.8%
Birmingham 45.4%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

25.5%
5.2 pts above England
School 25.5%
Birmingham 38.9%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

3.2%
2.2 pts above England
School 3.2%
Birmingham 0.5%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
46.4%
366
African
17.6%
139
Any other Mixed background
7.6%
60
Any other White background
7.5%
59
Caribbean
4.6%
36
White and Black Caribbean
3.9%
31
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 18.2% 143 of 788 pupils
2.7 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 18.2%
Birmingham 20.7%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 16.9% 133 pupils
England 14.8% 2.1 pts above
EHC plans 1.3% 10 pupils
England 6.0% 4.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 35
Moderate learning difficulty 32
Autistic spectrum disorder 29
Social, emotional & mental health 24
Speech, language & communication 17
Physical disability 4

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

47.0 7.8 pts above England
School 47.0
Birmingham 40.9
West Midlands 38.3
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 49.0% England 36.0% 13.0 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 69.1% England 51.4% 17.7 pts above England
EBacc entry 38.3% England 30.6% 7.7 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.08 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.27 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.23%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.01 pts higher than England
School 8.23%
Birmingham 7.01%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

27.78%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

11.97 pts higher than England
School 27.78%
Birmingham 20.05%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.87%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.07 pts higher than England
School 3.87%
Birmingham 2.18%
West Midlands 1.82%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

122.2% 29.9 pts above England
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School
122.2%
Birmingham
97.8%
West Midlands
94.1%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information