Small Heath Leadership Academy

Academy sponsor led·Secondary school Birmingham·B10 9RX
Composite score
57.1
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#1,595
National rank
#155
In West Midlands
#41
In Birmingham
Top 50%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
45.7
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
48%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
68%
% EBacc grade 5+
13%
EBacc average points score
4.05

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding effective?
Yes

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
100%
137 first choices, 220 places
First choices per place
0.62
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
777
any preference, for 220 places
First preferences per place, last five years▶ 0.00
00.511.5
1 per place
0.5520220.5320230.6920240.6220250.622026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Every child who put Small Heath Leadership Academy first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
1,188
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
57.4%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
51.7%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
12.0%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
0.9%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
6.5%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
20.3%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
20.3
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,532
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
86%
229 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
84%
Apprenticeship
1%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

About Small Heath Leadership Academy

Small Heath Leadership Academy is a secondary school in Birmingham, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. Around 1,188 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 45.7, broadly in line with the national average of 46. Results have held broadly steady on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it around the middle of secondary schools nationally.

48% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, in line with the national average of about 45%. 68% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Small Heath Leadership Academy was not oversubscribed for September 2026: all 137 families who put it first were offered a place. After Year 11, 86% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 6.5%. There are about 20.3 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 57% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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