Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #2 in Solihull public Top 5% UK

Arden

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

personMr David Warwood

corporate_fareARDEN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

location_onSolihull, B93 0PT

language Visit Website phone 1564773348

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

1,805

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Attainment 8

59.6

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GCSE Rank

#1 in Solihull

#258 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Arden is a Academy converter secondary school in Solihull, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.2×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Arden is an academy converter in Solihull, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of ARDEN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,817 pupils on roll, of whom 13% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 59.6, placing the school #1 in Solihull and #258 of 3,216 nationally. 73.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 36.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 26 A-level subjects. 66.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 34.9% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.21 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.2 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

59.6

Grade 5+ E&M

73.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)36.6%

Entering EBacc45.60%

EBacc APS5.28

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.59

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40.10%

EBacc APS5.03

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.61

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc43%

EBacc APS4.92

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.77

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

62.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47%

EBacc APS5.42

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc57%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.45

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

58.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS5.12

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.28

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc55%

EBacc APS4.88

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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

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.21

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

149

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*9.4%

Achieving A*–A34.9%

Achieving A*–B66.9%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate97.3%

A-level subjects offered26

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.31

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils do significantly better than expected at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

157

Retention rate96.80%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

150

Retention rate94.70%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

156

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

14 June 2022

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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07 January 2011

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2022-06-14

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2008-03-12

Section 5 RTI Historic EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

1.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.2%(21 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,817 pupils. During this period, there were 22 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.2%, 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)	1,817	22	1.2%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,817	20	1.1%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,813	31	1.7%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,820	29	1.6%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,823	32	1.8%	8.2%	3
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,809	23	1.3%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,805	22	1.2%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,808	27	1.5%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,810	10	0.6%	4.7%	3
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,816	14	0.8%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,815	25	1.4%	4.4%	3
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,810	7	0.4%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,813	4	0.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,812	5	0.3%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,774	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,774	7	0.4%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,776	16	0.9%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,700	12	0.7%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,703	22	1.3%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,705	14	0.8%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,607	16	1.0%	3.4%	4
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,609	17	1.1%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,606	11	0.7%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,577	10	0.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,585	19	1.2%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,591	8	0.5%	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 112 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 75 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 51 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 33 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 12 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 11 pupils

Hearing Impairment 10 pupils

Physical Disability 6 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

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Arden

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Solihull

Tudor Grange Academy, Solihull

St Peter's Catholic School

Alderbrook School

Lode Heath School

Lyndon School

Light Hall School