Rockwood Academy
Naseby Road, Alum Rock, Birmingham, B8 3HG
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- CORE EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Jamie Henshaw
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Core Education Trust
- Constituency
- Birmingham Ladywood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,050
- Pupils on roll
- 1,073
- URN
- 138059
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01215666500
About this school
Rockwood Academy is a secondary academy in Birmingham. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,073 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Rockwood Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 30 April 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 180 | 205 | 204 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.9 | 36.6 | 39.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.09 -0.30 to +0.12 | -0.06 -0.26 to +0.13 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 25.4% | 22.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 43.9% | 46.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 28% | 48.3% | 10.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Rockwood Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Birmingham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.9 | 40.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 36.6 | 40.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 39.1 | 40.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 12.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,039 |
| 2023/24 | 1,084 |
| 2024/25 | 1,078 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Rockwood Academy compares
Rockwood Academy ranked 72nd of 85 secondary schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 36% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 4% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 39.1 | 12.2% | 62.3% | 1,073 | — |
| Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East | 60.8 | 5.7% | 54.6% | 609 | 0.3 miles |
| Saltley Academy | 39.4 | 10.7% | 58.9% | 1,356 | 0.7 miles |
| Bordesley Green Girls' School & Sixth Form | 49.8 | 7.5% | 61.3% | 938 | 0.8 miles |
| Waverley Studio College | 21.9 | 21.9% | 56.6% | 223 | 1.1 miles |
| Hodge Hill College | 45.1 | 8.4% | 55.2% | 1,193 | 1.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 62.34%
- English as an additional language
- 26.6%
- Overall absence
- 12.21%
- Persistent absence
- 39.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East0.3 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Saltley Academy0.7 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Bordesley Green Girls' School & Sixth Form0.8 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Waverley Studio College1.1 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Hodge Hill College1.3 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
Other schools in Birmingham
Rockwood Academy ranks 71st of the 87 ranked secondary schools in Birmingham.
- Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School Secondary
- Arena Academy Secondary
- Ark Boulton Academy Secondary
- Ark St Alban's Academy Secondary
- Aston Manor Academy Secondary
- Aston University Engineering Academy Secondary
- Bartley Green School Secondary
- Birmingham Ormiston Academy Secondary
- Bishop Challoner Catholic College Secondary
- BOA Digital Technologies Academy Secondary
- Bordesley Green Girls' School & Sixth Form Secondary
- Broadway Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Rockwood Academy teach?
- Rockwood Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Birmingham.
- Who is the headteacher of Rockwood Academy?
- The headteacher of Rockwood Academy is Mr Jamie Henshaw, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Rockwood Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Rockwood Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Rockwood Academy?
- Rockwood Academy has 1,073 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Rockwood Academy full?
- Rockwood Academy has capacity for 1,050 pupils and 1,073 on roll (102%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Rockwood Academy a faith school?
- No. Rockwood Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Rockwood Academy a selective school?
- No. Rockwood Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Rockwood Academy part of an academy trust?
- Rockwood Academy is part of CORE EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Rockwood Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.9 in 2022/23 and 39.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Rockwood Academy compare with other schools in Birmingham?
- Rockwood Academy ranked 72nd of 85 secondary schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 36% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 4% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Rockwood Academy's absence rate?
- Rockwood Academy's overall absence rate is 12.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Rockwood Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Rockwood Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.