Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #35 in Birmingham public Top 20% UK

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Robert Swanwick

location_onBirmingham, B44 9SR

language Visit Website phone 1213606383

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

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Students

759

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Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#35 in Birmingham

#1,357 of 3,216 nationally

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Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is a Voluntary aided school secondary school in Birmingham, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is a voluntary aided school in Birmingham, admitting pupils aged 11-16. The school has approximately 778 pupils on roll, of whom 51% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47, placing the school #35 in Birmingham and #1,357 of 3,216 nationally. 49.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 17.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 6.3 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

49.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)17.4%

Entering EBacc38.30%

EBacc APS4.08

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.27

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc35.70%

EBacc APS4.06

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS3.80

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.34

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30%

EBacc APS3.66

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc31%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47%

EBacc APS3.75

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.12

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS3.44

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

83%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)15%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

06 October 2021

Inspection Report

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21 September 2016

Inspection Report

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03 December 2014

Inspection Report

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07 June 2013

Inspection Report

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05 March 2013

Inspection Report

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28 April 2010

Inspection Report

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29 January 2009

Inspection Report

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25 April 2007

Inspection Report

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22 April 2002

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2016-09-21

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-12-03

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

5.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.5%(35 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 778 pupils. During this period, there were 45 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 5.8%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	778	45	5.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	785	53	6.8%	7.8%	3
2023/24 (Summer term)	770	28	3.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	770	18	2.3%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	777	40	5.1%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	762	28	3.7%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	759	48	6.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	772	35	4.5%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	725	21	2.9%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	724	35	4.8%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	732	35	4.8%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	700	14	2.0%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	691	2	0.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	696	10	1.4%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	652	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	652	13	2.0%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	657	8	1.2%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	621	3	0.5%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	622	7	1.1%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	624	2	0.3%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	559	3	0.5%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	557	2	0.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	576	7	1.2%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	547	2	0.4%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	543	10	1.8%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	559	2	0.4%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 28 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 26 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 24 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 22 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 19 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils