School profile

Arena Academy

Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Birmingham, B42 2PY

Good

Map showing Arena Academy

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,223 of 3,312

Worse than 67% of schools in England

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

Arena Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 12 Nov 2024

Area360 rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages11 to 16
Pupils969
GenderMixed
Head teacherMr Raj Mann
TrustCORE EDUCATION TRUST
Local authorityBirmingham
Opened01 Mar 2018
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 145580.

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.42.7, worse than England, worse than Birmingham46.846.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.55.8%, worse than England, worse than Birmingham64.3%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.35.9%, worse than England, worse than Birmingham47.7%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.7.8%, worse than England, worse than Birmingham16.8%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths51.5%, worse than England, worse than Birmingham59.5%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4206--

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 pupils969
Girls475
Boys494
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.41.5%
First language not English17.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,050
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.7.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.183
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.8
Average class size23.8

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
38.3%
Other mixed
9.6%
Indian
7.4%
Caribbean
7.3%
White and Black Caribbean
5.9%
Pakistani
5.8%
African
4.9%
Bangladeshi
4%
Other White
3%
Other ethnic group
2.6%

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 teacher16.2
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.12.2
Teachers (FTE)59.7
Teaching assistants (FTE)8.57
Support staff (FTE)23.57
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2553
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2546
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/252
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/255

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.164
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.479
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.123
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.123
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)30

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 absence7.8%, similar to England, similar to Birmingham7.5%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.23.9%, worse than England, similar to Birmingham22.2%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.3.1%, similar to 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 rate18.9%
Pupils with one or more suspensions10.5%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

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.90.6%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.88%
Further education70.4%
School sixth form15.5%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.5.6%
Sixth form college2.1%
Apprenticeship1.7%
Employment0.9%

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 Arena Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.0 miPrimaryBeeches Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.1 miNurseryPerry Beeches Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Inadequate
0.4 miPrimaryGlenmead Primary SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
0.4 miPrimaryBarr View Primary & Nursery AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryCalshot Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.4 miSecondaryFortis AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryGreenholm Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miPrimaryMaryvale Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miPrimaryWhitecrest Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.9 miNurseryGoodway Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding

Frequently asked questions about Arena Academy

What is Arena Academy's Ofsted rating?

Arena Academy is rated Good, last inspected on 12 Nov 2024. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Arena Academy rank in England?

Arena Academy ranks 2,223 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 67% of schools).

What are Arena Academy's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 35.9% of pupils at Arena Academy got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 42.7 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into Arena Academy?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Arena Academy made 164 offers from 479 applications (2.9 per offer), and 123 of 123 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Arena Academy?

Arena Academy has 969 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of Arena Academy?

Arena Academy had 1,050 school places in 2024/25.

Does Arena Academy have a sixth form?

No, Arena Academy teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at Arena Academy?

At Arena Academy, the average class had 23.8 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.2 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Arena Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at Arena Academy missed 7.8% of sessions (England 8%), and 23.9% 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.