School profile

City Academy

Secondary · Free schools · Birmingham, B15 2EF

Requires improvement

Map showing City Academy

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,944 of 3,312

Worse than 88% of schools in England

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

City Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 10 Feb 2026

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeFree schools
Ages11 to 16
Pupils554 of 759 places
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Rebecca Bakewell
TrustCORE EDUCATION TRUST
Local authorityBirmingham
Opened01 Sept 2020
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 148187.

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 score37.546.846.2
Grade 4 or above in English and maths51.1%64.3%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths32.1%47.7%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths3.8%16.8%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths47.3%59.5%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4131--

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

Pupils

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils554
Girls245
Boys309
Eligible for free school meals57%
First language not English49.5%
SEN support96
EHC plan3
Average class size24.6

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

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Pupils ethnicity

African
24.4%
Other ethnic group
16.1%
Other mixed
15.9%
Caribbean
11.4%
Pakistani
8.1%
Other White
3.8%
White and Black Caribbean
3.2%
White British
2.9%
Other Black
2.3%
White and Asian
2.2%

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

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed. Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means missing 50% or more.

MeasureThis schoolBirminghamEngland
Overall absence9%7.5%8%
Persistent absence27.3%22.2%21.6%
Severe absence4.5%3.1%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 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)61
Applications (Year 7)276
First preference applications (Year 7)34
First preference offers (Year 7)34
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)1

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

Capacity

2024/25
MeasureThis school
School places759
Pupils on roll630
Unfilled places17%

Source: DfE, School capacity, Academic year 2024/25, published 19 Mar 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher15.4
Pupils per adult10.7
Teachers (FTE)36
Teaching assistants (FTE)5.78
Support staff (FTE)18.64
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2540
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2532
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/253
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/255

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

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25
MeasureThis school
Suspension rate71.9%
Pupils with one or more suspensions25%
Permanent exclusion rate0.5%
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 destination87.7%
Staying in education86.4%
Further education66.7%
School sixth form12.3%
Sixth form college6.8%
Not sustained4.9%
Apprenticeship0.6%
Employment0.6%

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 City Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimarySt Thomas Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.2 miNurserySt Thomas Centre Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good
0.2 miPrimarySt Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.4 miPrimaryOasis Academy WoodviewAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.4 miNot applicableWest House SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.6 miNurseryLillian De Lissa Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good
0.7 miNot applicableMander Portman Woodward Independent CollegeOther independent school
Unrated
0.7 miNot applicableCity United Academy (CUA)Other independent school
Good
0.7 miNot applicableSt George's School EdgbastonOther independent school
Unrated
0.7 miPrimaryNelson Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about City Academy

What is City Academy's Ofsted rating?

City Academy is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 10 Feb 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does City Academy rank in England?

City Academy ranks 2,944 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 88% of schools).

How many pupils attend City Academy?

City Academy has 554 pupils aged 11 to 16, with capacity for 759.

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.