SCHOOL PROFILE

King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 147440
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 546 Published school capacity
Capacity used 77.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

31 January 2024
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 KING EDWARD VI ACADEMY TRUST BIRMINGHAM
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 423 423 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 191 45.2% of pupils
Male pupils 232 54.8% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

66.7%
41.9 pts above England
School 66.7%
Birmingham 45.4%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

14.2%
6.1 pts below England
School 14.2%
Birmingham 38.9%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

5.0%
4.0 pts above England
School 5.0%
Birmingham 0.5%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
64.5%
273
Any other Mixed background
5.4%
23
White and Black Caribbean
5.4%
23
Any other Asian background
4.5%
19
African
3.1%
13
Any other ethnic group
3.1%
13
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 34.5% 146 of 423 pupils
13.7 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 34.5%
Birmingham 20.7%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 29.3% 124 pupils
England 14.8% 14.5 pts above
EHC plans 5.2% 22 pupils
England 6.0% 0.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 52
Autistic spectrum disorder 45
Moderate learning difficulty 17
Speech, language & communication 12
Other difficulty or disability 6
Physical 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

41.4 2.2 pts above England
School 41.4
Birmingham 40.9
West Midlands 38.3
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 32.0% England 36.0% 4.0 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 52.0% England 51.4% 0.6 pts above England
EBacc entry 8.0% England 30.6% 22.6 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.35 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.48 · 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

9.86%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.64 pts higher than England
School 9.86%
Birmingham 7.01%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

29.77%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

13.96 pts higher than England
School 29.77%
Birmingham 20.05%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.23%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.42 pts higher than England
School 5.23%
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

77.5% 14.8 pts below England
King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy
77.5%
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