Arena Academy - The School Companion

Arena Academy

General Information

Address: Beeches Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, B42 2PY
Phone: 01217297310
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Raj Mann
Age range: 11-16 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Number of pupils: 969
School capacity: 900
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 402
% eligible for free school meals: 41.5%
Nursery provision: No

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 7.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 23.4%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 18.9%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 0.8%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 49 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 39 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 35 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 24 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 12 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

Give this school your first review

Educational Attainment

No overall grade given 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted stopped giving single overall grades for a period between September 2024 and November 2025 - this school's most recent inspection falls in that window, so there's no single rating to show, even though it was inspected. The full report (linked below) still has the detail.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

Attainment 8 score: 44.5
Data year: 2024/25

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

Ranked #46 of 79 Attainment 8 schools of this type in the area

#44Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School44.6
#45Harborne Academy44.6
#46Arena Academy44.5
#47Ark Boulton Academy44.2
#48Aston University Engineering Academy44.1

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

#1King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls80.4
#2Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls79.4
#3Bishop Vesey's Grammar School77.1
#4King Edward VI Five Ways School75.9
#5King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys75.7
#6King Edward VI Handsworth School74.2
#7King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys72.0
#8King Edward VI Aston School71.2
#9Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham62.1
#10Eden Boys' School, Birmingham61.3
#11St Paul's School for Girls61.0
#12Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East60.8
#13King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls56.8
#14Kings Norton Girls' School56.6
#15Bishop Walsh Catholic School56.0
#16The Arthur Terry School55.4
#17Birmingham Ormiston Academy54.1
#18Selly Park Girls' School52.4
#19Hillcrest School and Sixth Form Centre52.1
#20Plantsbrook School51.8
#21Nishkam High School51.3
#22E-ACT Heartlands Academy50.3
#23St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School49.9
#24Bordesley Green Girls' School & Sixth Form49.8
#25Fairfax49.1
#26Hodge Hill Girls' School48.7
#27Queensbridge School48.5
#28Bishop Challoner Catholic College48.4
#29Wheelers Lane Technology College48.4
#30King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy48.0
#31King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys47.6
#32King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy47.4
#33Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School47.0
#34Ark St Alban's Academy46.9
#35Yardleys School46.7
#36King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls46.0
#37St Edmund Campion Catholic School45.8
#38Small Heath Leadership Academy45.7
#39The University of Birmingham School45.5
#40Hodge Hill College45.1
#41Ninestiles, an Academy44.9
#42St John Wall Catholic School44.7
#43Aston Manor Academy44.6
#44Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School44.6
#45Harborne Academy44.6
#46Arena Academy44.5
#47Ark Boulton Academy44.2
#48Aston University Engineering Academy44.1
#49Holy Trinity Catholic School44.0
#50E-ACT North Birmingham Academy43.9
#51Lordswood Boys' School43.3
#52Holyhead School43.2
#53Broadway Academy42.7
#54Hall Green School42.5
#55Hamstead Hall Academy42.1
#56Lift Four Dwellings Secondary42.1
#57Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School41.7
#58Colmers School and Sixth Form College41.7
#59King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy41.4
#60Erdington Academy40.6
#61Stockland Green School40.3
#62Kings Heath Secondary School40.0
#63Bartley Green School39.9
#64Moseley School and Sixth Form39.7
#65The Royal Sutton School39.7
#66Holte School39.4
#67Saltley Academy39.4
#68Rockwood Academy39.1
#69Cockshut Hill School38.3
#70Fortis Academy37.9
#71Turves Green Boys' School37.3
#72City Academy36.4
#73Tile Cross Academy35.6
#74Jewellery Quarter Academy35.2
#75George Dixon Academy33.3
#76Lift Greenwood31.8
#77E-ACT Shenley Academy31.6
#78Waverley Studio College21.9
#79South and City College Birmingham16.3

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 94.0%
Went into further education: 89.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Science Double Award
History
Geography
Business Studies
Religious Studies
Psychology (General)
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Sociology
Sports Studies
Art & Design
Computer Science
Food Technology
Photography
French Language
D & T
Punjabi
Italian
Spanish
Chinese
Arabic

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £7,925 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #46 of 83 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#44Nishkam High School£8,101
#45St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School£8,082
#46Arena Academy£7,925
#47St Edmund Campion Catholic School£7,886
#48BOA Stage and Screen Production Academy£7,739

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Bishop Challoner Catholic College£10,588
#2Holte School£10,296
#3Ark St Alban's Academy£9,920
#4Harborne Academy£9,838
#5St John Wall Catholic School£9,747
#6Ark Boulton Academy£9,710
#7Cockshut Hill School£9,679
#8Yardleys School£9,558
#9Moseley School and Sixth Form£9,374
#10Kings Heath Secondary School£9,373
#11Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School£9,347
#12King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy£9,313
#13Hillcrest School and Sixth Form Centre£9,291
#14Turves Green Boys' School£9,279
#15Selly Park Girls' School£9,217
#16Colmers School and Sixth Form College£9,105
#17Aston University Engineering Academy£9,051
#18Bartley Green School£9,029
#19George Dixon Academy£9,018
#20Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School£8,906
#21King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls£8,868
#22Holy Trinity Catholic School£8,856
#23Bordesley Green Girls' School & Sixth Form£8,821
#24Queensbridge School£8,794
#25Lift Greenwood£8,741
#26Hodge Hill College£8,665
#27City Academy£8,654
#28Tile Cross Academy£8,598
#29Jewellery Quarter Academy£8,568
#30Wheelers Lane Technology College£8,547
#31Fortis Academy£8,547
#32The University of Birmingham School£8,499
#33Waverley Studio College£8,463
#34Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School£8,404
#35Broadway Academy£8,369
#36Saltley Academy£8,318
#37Hodge Hill Girls' School£8,303
#38Holyhead School£8,288
#39Aston Manor Academy£8,251
#40King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy£8,144
#41King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys£8,120
#42Hamstead Hall Academy£8,108
#43Lift Four Dwellings Secondary£8,103
#44Nishkam High School£8,101
#45St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School£8,082
#46Arena Academy£7,925
#47St Edmund Campion Catholic School£7,886
#48BOA Stage and Screen Production Academy£7,739
#49St Paul's School for Girls£7,712
#50Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham£7,708
#51Erdington Academy£7,650
#52E-ACT Heartlands Academy£7,571
#53King Edward VI Aston School£7,567
#54Lordswood Boys' School£7,546
#55Small Heath Leadership Academy£7,532
#56Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East£7,445
#57King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy£7,432
#58E-ACT North Birmingham Academy£7,391
#59King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys£7,357
#60Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy£7,352
#61King Edward VI Five Ways School£7,240
#62King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls£7,216
#63Eden Boys' School, Birmingham£7,163
#64Ninestiles, an Academy£7,125
#65Bishop Vesey's Grammar School£7,098
#66King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys£7,029
#67King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls£6,966
#68BOA Digital Technologies Academy£6,947
#69Prince Albert High School£6,920
#70Rockwood Academy£6,765
#71Bishop Walsh Catholic School£6,716
#72Stockland Green School£6,627
#73King Edward VI Handsworth School£6,560
#74The Royal Sutton School£6,549
#75Plantsbrook School£6,529
#76The Arthur Terry School£6,462
#77Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls£6,441
#78Birmingham Ormiston Academy£6,228
#79Fairfax£5,990
#80E-ACT Shenley Academy£5,795
#81Swanshurst School£4,844
#82Kings Norton Girls' School£4,517
#83Hall Green School£218

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

General Information

Behaviour

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered