E-ACT North Birmingham Academy Review 2026: A large, community-serving secondary with a clear focus on behaviour, safety, and next steps

A school of this size lives or dies on consistency. Here, the clearest theme is an insistence on calm routines, clear expectations, and a practical approach to helping students take the next step, whether that is A-levels, vocational pathways, apprenticeships, employment, or university. The academy is part of the E-ACT trust, and the trust’s language around “thinking big” and “doing the right thing” is mirrored in school-facing materials that emphasise standards and character.

Leadership has also been a visible lever. Mr David Karim became headteacher from Monday 28 April 2025, following a period where the previous headteacher, Ms Jo Paddock, led the school through the 2023 inspection cycle.

The current picture is not an “exam results story” first and foremost. GCSE and A-level outcomes sit below England averages in the available data, so the more meaningful question for families is whether the school’s improving culture, behaviour approach, and sixth-form offer match what their child needs to succeed.

Large mainstream academies can feel anonymous if systems are weak. The evidence here points in the opposite direction: an emphasis on orderly conduct, predictable routines, and staff who respond quickly when issues arise. In the most recent inspection cycle, bullying and poor “banter” were described as uncommon and addressed promptly, and students reported feeling safe and supported.

The academy uses an explicit values framework, referred to as “The NBA Way”, structured around Nothing but the best, Be kind, Aim High. In practical terms, that kind of shorthand can help families and students understand what the school expects, and it gives staff a shared language for praise, correction, and pastoral conversations.

As with many urban secondaries, the student body is diverse and the school positions itself as a community anchor. Earlier Ofsted reporting also highlights a long-standing focus on breakfast provision and on helping students arrive ready to learn, particularly in a context where public transport and longer travel distances can affect punctuality.

It is important to separate two questions: how the school compares overall, and what that means for an individual child.

GCSE performance (headline measures)

• Attainment 8 is 40.7, below the England benchmark.

• Progress 8 is -0.32, indicating students make less progress than peers nationally with similar starting points.

• EBacc average point score is 3.25, below the England average of 4.08.

In FindMySchool’s proprietary ranking based on official outcomes data, the academy is ranked 3,301st in England and 89th in Birmingham for GCSE outcomes. That places performance below England average, aligning with the lower-performing band of schools in England (bottom 40%).

This is not a reason to dismiss the school. It is a reason to ask targeted questions: how subject gaps are identified, what catch-up looks like in practice, and how leaders ensure consistency between classrooms.

A-level performance (headline measures)

A-level outcomes in the available data are also below England averages:

• A* rate: 1.04%

• A rate: 3.13%

• B rate: 4.17%

• A* to B combined: 8.33%, versus an England benchmark of 47.2%.

In FindMySchool’s proprietary ranking for A-level outcomes, the academy is ranked 2,534th in England and 57th in Birmingham.

A useful implication for families is that the sixth form is likely to suit students who benefit from structured support, strong guidance, and a clear pathway model (academic, vocational, or mixed), rather than students whose outcomes depend on highly competitive, ultra high-attaining sets.

The most recent inspection evidence points to a school that has sharpened its approach to behaviour and expectations, and that has reworked curriculum planning with an eye on future destinations, including stronger take-up of modern languages over time.

Where improvement is still needed is also clearly defined: some teaching does not consistently build on what students already know, some classroom tasks are not adapted well enough for students with special educational needs and disabilities, and weaker readers need more systematic support to develop fluency and confidence across the curriculum. Those issues matter because they affect the day-to-day experience, not just exam outcomes.

For parents, the practical “so what” is straightforward. In meetings, ask how departments check prior knowledge before new topics, what staff training looks like for adaptive teaching, and what reading intervention is in place at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 for students who did not secure strong literacy foundations earlier.

This academy has a sixth form, so destinations matter in several directions: internal progression into Year 12, and then progression after Year 13.

General destinations

For the 2023/24 leavers cohort, the published destination breakdown shows:

• 40% progressed to university

• 16% to further education

• 7% to apprenticeships

• 13% to employment

Those figures suggest a mixed destinations profile, with a significant share moving directly into work or continuing education routes that are not university. For many families, that is a strength, provided guidance is well organised and students are supported to choose the right route early enough.

Oxbridge

In the most recent Oxbridge reporting period available, two students applied, one received an offer, and one secured a place at Cambridge. This is not an “Oxbridge pipeline” school, but it does show that individual high-achievers can be supported to compete for the most selective routes when the right combination of grades, guidance, and personal readiness is in place.

Sixth form pathways

The sixth form offer is explicitly described as a mix of academic and vocational routes, with A-level and technical options, and published materials emphasise outcomes and “destinations” as a priority.

Entry requirements published by the academy indicate a points-based threshold across a student’s best GCSEs, with higher thresholds for some courses. That structure can be helpful for clarity, particularly for students combining academic and applied courses.

Year 7 entry

Admissions are coordinated through Birmingham’s local authority process for secondary schools. For September 2026 entry, applications opened 1 September 2025 and the statutory closing date was 31 October 2025. National Offer Day for that cycle is shown as 2 March 2026 in Birmingham’s timetable.

Demand is a meaningful part of the story. In the latest available admissions figures, 603 applications were recorded for 238 offers, and the school is described as oversubscribed, with around 2.53 applications per place. This indicates real competition, though distance cut-offs are not available here, so families should treat proximity as relevant but not determinative and focus on the official oversubscription criteria.

Parents who want to sanity-check their chances should use the FindMySchool Map Search to measure their address-to-gate distance and monitor how local competition shifts across years.

Open events

The academy advertises an “Open evening 2026” registration of interest through its admissions materials. Exact dates are not consistently published in the sources accessible here, so families should check the school’s admissions pages for the latest schedule and booking arrangements.

Sixth form entry

The sixth form welcomes internal Year 11 students and external applicants. Applications are made directly, and published materials emphasise conditional offers based on predicted GCSE outcomes and subject choices.

Pastoral strength in a large school is often about whether support is visible and easy to access. The school’s published materials, including earlier parent-facing documentation, describe a dedicated support team model that includes counselling, mentoring, links with external agencies, and a structured anti-bullying reporting process.

The school’s own language also emphasises safeguarding-first practice and personal development as core pillars, which is relevant for families weighing concerns about online safety, peer behaviour, and general supervision.

Ofsted also confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular programmes matter most when they create routine and belonging, especially for students who do not naturally define school as “academic first”.

The school’s published extracurricular list includes clubs such as art, computing, music, fitness, badminton, dance, acro, and football, plus quieter spaces for students who prefer lower-stimulation options.

Inspection evidence also points to a broad spread of activities, with examples including dodgeball, dance and drama. The implication for families is that extracurricular engagement is not limited to the “usual” sport-and-performing-arts headline. There are accessible options for students who need to build confidence through participation rather than competition.

A final detail worth knowing is how rewards and trips operate. Older published handbook materials describe structured reward cycles and examples of end-of-term trips. Even if the specific destinations change year to year, the underlying model is important, since it reflects how the school motivates attendance, punctuality, and consistent effort.

Published day structures show tutor time from 08:40, with lessons running through to a final period that ends at 15:20, and a weekly total that includes lunchtime.

Breakfast provision has been described in school materials as starting from 07:45; families should confirm the current offer and whether it is daily or termly dependent.

Transport-wise, the school context includes reliance on public transport for many students. As a result, punctuality systems and morning routines matter, and families benefit from planning a route that builds in contingency for traffic and service disruption.

• Results are currently below England averages. GCSE and A-level outcomes in the available data sit below national benchmarks, so families should focus on what is being done, subject by subject, to tighten classroom consistency and improve reading and SEND adaptation.

• A large school needs strong systems to avoid uneven experiences. For some students, a rules-based environment is exactly what helps them settle; for others, it can feel strict if they struggle with organisation. Ask how the school supports students who repeatedly miss homework, arrive late, or experience anxiety.

• Sixth form is best seen as a pathway model, not an elite A-level specialist. The offer includes academic and vocational routes, and destinations data reflects a wide range of next steps. That can suit many students well, but families seeking a highly academic sixth form with top-tier outcomes should interrogate subject-level support and group sizes carefully.

• Admissions demand is real. With more applications than offers in the latest figures, families should not assume a place is guaranteed even if the school is local.

E-ACT North Birmingham Academy looks most convincing where it is clearest: behaviour, safety, and the practical work of helping students move to the next stage with confidence. The latest Ofsted inspection in October 2023 maintained a Good judgement, with evidence of an ordered culture and students who feel safe.

This school suits families who want a structured mainstream secondary with a sixth form that offers multiple routes and clear expectations. The main trade-off is academic outcomes, which currently lag England averages, so the best fit is often a student who benefits from consistent routines and targeted support, and who will engage with interventions rather than avoid them.