Fortis Academy
Aldridge Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, B44 8NU
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE SHAW EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Joseph Clark
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- The Shaw Education Trust
- Constituency
- Birmingham Perry Barr
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 2,124
- Pupils on roll
- 1,210
- URN
- 143435
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01213666611
About this school
Fortis Academy is a secondary academy in Birmingham. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,210 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Fortis Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 313 | 293 | 277 |
| Attainment 8 score | 34.3 | 39.7 | 37.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.72 -0.89 to -0.55 | -0.32 -0.50 to -0.14 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 21% | 29% | 27.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 38% | 47.4% | 49.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 15% | 11.9% | 13% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
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 Fortis 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 | 34.3 | 40.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 39.7 | 40.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 37.9 | 40.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 13.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,434 |
| 2023/24 | 1,339 |
| 2024/25 | 1,294 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Fortis Academy compares
Fortis Academy ranked 74th of 85 secondary schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 33% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 37.9 | 9.8% | 59.2% | 1,210 | — |
| Arena Academy | 44.5 | 7.9% | 39.5% | 969 | 0.4 miles |
| Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School | 47 | 8.2% | 51.3% | 788 | 0.6 miles |
| Barr Beacon School | 51 | 6.9% | 23.2% | 1,469 | 1.3 miles |
| E-ACT North Birmingham Academy | 43.9 | 3.5% | 61.5% | 1,167 | 1.3 miles |
| Prince Albert High School | — | 10.7% | 50.8% | 950 | 1.8 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)
- 59.17%
- English as an additional language
- 28.7%
- Overall absence
- 9.76%
- Persistent absence
- 31.34%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Arena Academy0.4 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School0.6 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Barr Beacon School1.3 miles
Secondary · Walsall
-
E-ACT North Birmingham Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Prince Albert High School1.8 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
Other schools in Birmingham
Fortis Academy ranks 73rd 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 Fortis Academy teach?
- Fortis Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Birmingham.
- Who is the headteacher of Fortis Academy?
- The headteacher of Fortis Academy is Mr Joseph Clark, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Fortis Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fortis 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 Fortis Academy?
- Fortis Academy has 1,210 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Fortis Academy full?
- Fortis Academy has capacity for 2,124 pupils and 1,210 on roll (57%), so it has space against 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 Fortis Academy a faith school?
- No. Fortis Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Fortis Academy a selective school?
- No. Fortis Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Fortis Academy part of an academy trust?
- Fortis Academy is part of THE SHAW EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Fortis Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 34.3 in 2022/23 and 37.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Fortis Academy compare with other schools in Birmingham?
- Fortis Academy ranked 74th of 85 secondary schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 33% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Fortis Academy's absence rate?
- Fortis Academy's overall absence rate is 9.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fortis Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fortis 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 2 July 2026.