SCHOOL PROFILE

Nishkam High School

Secondary Free schools URN 138586
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 700 Published school capacity
Capacity used 95.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

11 March 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Outstanding
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Free schools
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Sikh
Local authority Birmingham
Trust NISHKAM SCHOOLS MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 668 668 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 299 44.8% of pupils
Male pupils 369 55.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

30.1%
5.3 pts above England
School 30.1%
Birmingham 45.4%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

28.4%
8.1 pts above England
School 28.4%
Birmingham 38.9%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

3.3%
2.3 pts above England
School 3.3%
Birmingham 0.5%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

Indian
57.2%
382
African
11.4%
76
Any other Asian background
6.1%
41
Any other Mixed background
4.5%
30
Bangladeshi
4.5%
30
Any other ethnic group
4.0%
27
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 13.3% 89 of 668 pupils
7.5 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 13.3%
Birmingham 20.7%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 9.4% 63 pupils
England 14.8% 5.4 pts below
EHC plans 3.9% 26 pupils
England 6.0% 2.1 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Moderate learning difficulty 26
Social, emotional & mental health 19
Speech, language & communication 19
Autistic spectrum disorder 15
Physical disability 5
Hearing impairment 2

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

51.3 12.1 pts above England
School 51.3
Birmingham 40.9
West Midlands 38.3
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 54.6% England 36.0% 18.6 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 75.9% England 51.4% 24.5 pts above England
EBacc entry 78.7% England 30.6% 48.1 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.88 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.69 · 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

5.58%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.64 pts lower than England
School 5.58%
Birmingham 7.01%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

12.59%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.23 pts lower than England
School 12.59%
Birmingham 20.05%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.22%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.58 pts lower than England
School 1.22%
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

95.4% 3.1 pts above England
Nishkam High School
95.4%
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