Ark Victoria Academy
General Information
- Address: Talbot Way, Small Heath, Birmingham, B10 0HJ – View on map
- Phone: 01213934459
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Principal Ela McSorley
- Age range: 3-18 years
- Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 50 families put it first for 72 places – 7 for every 10 places. 84% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 14 · 2024 11 · 2025 10 · 2026 7
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 58 families put it first for 62 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 9 · 2025 9 · 2026 9
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: None
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 1017
- % eligible for free school meals: 68.6%
- Pupil mix: 7 in 10 (similar to the Birmingham average)
- English as an additional language: 78% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 16.7% a year (Birmingham 17.9%, typical in England 15.5%)
- Where they went: about 53% moved to another school, 47% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Birmingham: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 108 (1.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 2
- Suspensions for bullying: 152 (1.7 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 47 (0.5 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state secondary schools in Birmingham, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 5.6%
- Persistently absent pupils: 16.8%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 17.8%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.2%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Moderate learning difficulty: 84 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 79 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 64 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 16 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 11 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 8 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Hearing impairment: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2019 report
- Attainment 8 score: 48.4
- Compared with the area: in line with the Birmingham average (47.7)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (+3.1 points against an expected 45.3)
- Grade 4+ in English and maths: 67% (Birmingham 66%, England 65%) Broadly steady
- Data year: 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
GCSE results over time
29th of 85 all-through schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8
- #27Hodge Hill Girls' School48.7
- #28Queensbridge School48.5
- #29Ark Victoria Academy48.4
- #30Bishop Challoner Catholic College48.4
- #31Wheelers Lane Technology College48.4
Click to see the full ranking
Leaver Destinations
- In education, employment, or training a year later: 93.0%
- Went into further education: 92.0%
- Data year: 2024/25
GCSE Subjects Offered
- Maths (General)
- English Language
- English Literature
- French Language
- Science Double Award
- Religious Studies
- Geography
- History
- Biology
- Chemistry (General)
- Physics (General)
- Business Studies
- Computer Science
- Photography
- Sports Studies
- Art & Design
- Music Studies (General)
- Italian
- Arabic
- Spanish
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 85% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 11% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 20 percentage points above the Birmingham average (65%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 83% against an expected 61%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 83%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 88% · Writing 86% · Maths 88% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 79%
- Average test scores: reading 108, maths 108
- Based on: 113 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: 12th of 264 junior and primary schools in the area
- #10The Shirestone Academy87%
- #11Lift Percy Shurmer86%
- #12Ark Victoria Academy85%
- =13Lift Lea Forest84%
- =13Nishkam Primary School Birmingham84%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
15th of 64 all-through schools in Birmingham for Ofsted rating
- #13Ark Kings AcademyGood
- #14Ark St Alban's AcademyGood
- #15Ark Victoria AcademyGood
- #16Bartley Green SchoolGood
- #17Birmingham Ormiston AcademyGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £7,988 (2024-25)
48th of 88 all-through schools in Birmingham for spending per pupil
- #46Nishkam High School£8,101
- #47St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School£8,082
- #48Ark Victoria Academy£7,988
- #49Arena Academy£7,925
- #50St Edmund Campion Catholic School£7,886
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)