Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up High Demand emoji_events #20 in Birmingham public Top 11% UK

Nishkam High School

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

personCo Headteacher Co Principal Chris Deeks Co Principal Emma Wilks

corporate_fareNISHKAM SCHOOLS MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

location_onBirmingham, B19 2LF

language Visit Website phone 1213487660

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

652

trending_up

Attainment 8

51.3

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GCSE Rank

#21 in Birmingham

#790 of 3,216 nationally

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Nishkam High School is a Free schools secondary school in Birmingham, serving ages 11-19. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 1.9× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

Nishkam High School is a free schools in Birmingham, admitting pupils aged 11-19. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of NISHKAM SCHOOLS MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 670 pupils on roll, of whom 33% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 51.3, placing the school #21 in Birmingham and #790 of 3,216 nationally. 54.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 23.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 14 A-level subjects. 53.8% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 27.8% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.02 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.9× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.9 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

51.3

Grade 5+ E&M

54.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)23.7%

Entering EBacc78.70%

EBacc APS4.88

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.69

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc83.30%

EBacc APS5.04

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.94

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc86%

EBacc APS5.40

2022

Progress 8 Score

1.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc79%

EBacc APS5.44

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc81%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.99

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc95%

EBacc APS5.28

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.74

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc93%

EBacc APS5.2

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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

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

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

-0.02

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*7.1%

Achieving A*–A27.8%

Achieving A*–B53.8%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate97.8%

A-level subjects offered14

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.24

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate93.20%

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate92.30%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

Retention rate91.9%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

11 March 2025

Inspection Report

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30 April 2014

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2025-03-11

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2014-04-30

S5 Inspection 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

3.4%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.1%(21 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 670 pupils. During this period, there were 23 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.4%, 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)	670	23	3.4%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	670	16	2.4%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	670	11	1.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	671	15	2.2%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	671	17	2.5%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	653	15	2.3%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	652	12	1.8%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	653	12	1.8%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	672	13	1.9%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	673	21	3.1%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	674	18	2.7%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	666	13	2.0%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	660	3	0.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	665	7	1.1%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	660	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	660	16	2.4%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	657	13	2.0%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	658	17	2.6%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	661	6	0.9%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	665	15	2.3%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	619	16	2.6%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	622	15	2.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	623	16	2.6%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	558	9	1.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	557	15	2.7%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	555	11	2.0%	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.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 33 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 22 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 17 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 14 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils