SCHOOL PROFILE

Small Heath Leadership Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 144464
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,200 Published school capacity
Capacity used 94.3% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

11 May 2022
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Birmingham
Trust STAR ACADEMIES
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,131 1,131 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 472 41.7% of pupils
Male pupils 659 58.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

59.8%
35.0 pts above England
School 59.8%
Birmingham 45.4%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

49.5%
29.2 pts above England
School 49.5%
Birmingham 38.9%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Birmingham 0.5%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

Pakistani
43.1%
487
African
22.2%
251
Bangladeshi
12.0%
136
Any other ethnic group
8.8%
99
Unclassified
4.0%
45
Any other Asian background
3.3%
37
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 16.6% 188 of 1,131 pupils
4.2 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 16.6%
Birmingham 20.7%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 15.6% 176 pupils
England 14.8% 0.8 pts above
EHC plans 1.1% 12 pupils
England 6.0% 5.0 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 73
Social, emotional & mental health 43
Specific learning difficulty 41
Hearing impairment 9
No specialist assessment yet 9
Other difficulty or disability 5

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

45.7 6.5 pts above England
School 45.7
Birmingham 40.9
West Midlands 38.3
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 48.2% England 36.0% 12.2 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 68.3% England 51.4% 16.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 85.3% England 30.6% 54.7 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.05 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.42 · 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

6.84%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.62 pts higher than England
School 6.84%
Birmingham 7.01%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

19.43%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.61 pts higher than England
School 19.43%
Birmingham 20.05%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.71%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.90 pts higher than England
School 2.71%
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

94.3% 1.9 pts above England
Small Heath Leadership Academy
94.3%
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