The University of Birmingham School
Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6QU
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr Colin Townsend
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Birmingham Northfield
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,150
- Pupils on roll
- 1,188
- URN
- 140863
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01217965000
About this school
The University of Birmingham School is a secondary academy in Birmingham. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 1,188 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 17 May 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 151 | 172 | 151 |
| Attainment 8 score | 51.5 | 47.1 | 45.5 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.17 -0.06 to +0.41 | -0.09 -0.31 to +0.13 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 55% | 48.3% | 41.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 74% | 64.5% | 59.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 67% | 73.3% | 70.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
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 The University of Birmingham School 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 | 51.5 | 40.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 47.1 | 40.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.5 | 40.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,170 |
| 2023/24 | 1,175 |
| 2024/25 | 1,177 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The University of Birmingham School compares
The University of Birmingham School ranked 41st of 85 secondary schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 59% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45.5 | 8% | 41.3% | 1,188 | — |
| Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School | 44.6 | 11.5% | 48.9% | 774 | 0.6 miles |
| Kings Norton Girls' School | 56.6 | 6.5% | 28.7% | 1,076 | 1.2 miles |
| E-ACT Shenley Academy | 31.6 | 13.6% | 60.6% | 746 | 1.3 miles |
| Selly Park Girls' School | 52.4 | 7.7% | 55.6% | 803 | 1.3 miles |
| King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys | 47.6 | 7.1% | 31.7% | 815 | 1.4 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)
- 41.34%
- English as an additional language
- 36%
- Overall absence
- 8.02%
- Persistent absence
- 26.61%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School0.6 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Kings Norton Girls' School1.2 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
E-ACT Shenley Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Selly Park Girls' School1.3 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys1.4 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
Other schools in Birmingham
The University of Birmingham School ranks 36th 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 year groups does The University of Birmingham School teach?
- The University of Birmingham School teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in Birmingham.
- Who is the headteacher of The University of Birmingham School?
- The headteacher of The University of Birmingham School is Mr Colin Townsend, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The University of Birmingham School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The University of Birmingham School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is The University of Birmingham School?
- The University of Birmingham School has 1,188 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is The University of Birmingham School full?
- The University of Birmingham School has capacity for 1,150 pupils and 1,188 on roll (103%), 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 The University of Birmingham School a faith school?
- No. The University of Birmingham School has no designated religious character.
- Is The University of Birmingham School a selective school?
- No. The University of Birmingham School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs The University of Birmingham School?
- The University of Birmingham School is part of THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The University of Birmingham School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 51.5 in 2022/23 and 45.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The University of Birmingham School rank locally?
- The University of Birmingham School ranked 41st of 85 secondary schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 59% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The University of Birmingham School's absence rate?
- The University of Birmingham School's overall absence rate is 8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The University of Birmingham School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The University of Birmingham School'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.