City Academy

Free schools · Secondary school · Birmingham, Birmingham
B15 2EF
Composite score
45.5

About City Academy

City Academy is a secondary school in Birmingham, Birmingham, classified by the DfE as a free school. Around 615 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school holds a 'Requires improvement' judgement from Ofsted (February 2026). The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 36.4 — below the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 1.7 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

23% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well below the national average of about 45%. 41% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 65% 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. If you are considering City Academy, it may be worth asking how leaders have responded to Ofsted's findings and what has changed since the inspection. 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 further down the page.

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#2,903
National rank
#347
In West Midlands
#79
In Birmingham
Top 91%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
36.4
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
23%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
41%
% EBacc grade 5+
8%
EBacc average points score
3.24

Ofsted judgements

New framework · Last inspection: 10/02/2026 · Read full report ↗

Achievement
Needs attention
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Inclusion
Expected standard
Safeguarding standards
Met

School profile

Pupils on roll 615 % FSM ever-6 64.7% % EAL 49.9% Age range 11–16 Gender Mixed

Location

Nearby secondary schools

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