School profile

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School

Secondary · Voluntary aided school · Birmingham, B44 9SR

Good

Map showing Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#1,299 of 3,312

Better than 60% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 14 Apr 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching
Strong standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Strong standard
Leadership and governance
Strong standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages11 to 16
Pupils788
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Robert Swanwick
Local authorityBirmingham
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 103539.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolBirminghamEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.48, similar to England, similar to Birmingham46.846.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.65.5%, similar to England, similar to Birmingham64.3%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.43.7%, similar to England, worse than Birmingham47.7%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.8.5%, worse than England, worse than Birmingham16.8%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths64.1%, better than England, better than Birmingham59.5%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4142--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils788
Girls399
Boys389
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.46.8%
First language not English25.5%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.800
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.1.5%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.133
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.10
Average class size27.2

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
46.4%
African
17.6%
Other mixed
7.6%
Other White
7.5%
Caribbean
4.6%
White and Black Caribbean
3.9%
Other Black
2.9%
Other ethnic group
2.3%
Indian
1.6%
Other Asian
1.4%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher15.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.4
Teachers (FTE)50.8
Teaching assistants (FTE)11.56
Support staff (FTE)36.67
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2550.6
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2543.4
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/253.4
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253.8

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.160
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.584
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.158
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.141
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)19

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolBirminghamEngland
Overall absence7.3%, better than England, similar to Birmingham7.5%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.24.3%, worse than England, worse than Birmingham22.2%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.2.6%, better than England, similar to Birmingham3.1%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate14.1%
Pupils with one or more suspensions8.6%
Permanent exclusion rate0.4%
Permanent exclusions3

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.92.1%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.90%
Further education57.1%
School sixth form32.9%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.3.6%
Apprenticeship2.1%
Sixth form college0%
Employment0%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimaryMaryvale Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryKingsthorne Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryKings Rise AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.6 miPrimaryKingsland Primary School (NC)Community school
Good
0.6 miSecondaryFortis AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.6 miNurseryGoodway Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding
0.6 miPrimaryBarr View Primary & Nursery AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryChrist The King Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Outstanding
0.7 miPrimarySundridge Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryGlenmead Primary SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement

Frequently asked questions about Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School

What is Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is rated Good, last inspected on 14 Apr 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School rank in England?

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School ranks 1,299 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 60% of schools).

What are Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 43.7% of pupils at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 48 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School made 160 offers from 584 applications (3.7 per offer), and 141 of 158 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School?

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School has 788 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School?

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School had 800 school places in 2024/25.

Does Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School have a sixth form?

No, Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School?

At Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, the average class had 27.2 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 15.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School missed 7.3% of sessions (England 8%), and 24.3% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.