Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham Review 2026: High expectations, strong progress, and leadership culture for girls

A purposeful, high-expectations secondary in Small Heath, Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham has built a reputation for calm conduct and academic drive at scale. It is part of Star Academies, with a clear emphasis on leadership, character education, and structured learning.

The most recent graded inspection judged the school Outstanding across all areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

For families weighing local options, the headline is consistency. Strong routines, a reading-first culture, and a wide personal development programme combine to create a setting that suits students who respond well to clear expectations and a busy, organised school week.

The tone is set by values and routines that are repeated often and applied consistently. Star’s service, teamwork, ambition and respect values appear as lived behaviours, with students described as caring towards one another and confident to contribute in lessons, including through debate and discussion.

A distinctive strand here is leadership as a daily habit rather than an occasional badge. Students take on ambassador roles and get involved in community-minded work, including links with a local eco-park. The implication for families is that the school is well suited to girls who enjoy responsibility and benefit from being actively guided towards public speaking, teamwork, and visible contribution.

The physical set-up supports a practical, modern school day. Published project material describing the school’s facilities highlights science laboratories, a library, a canteen with commercial kitchen, secure entry, and dedicated spaces aligned to the school’s Islamic ethos, including ablution and a prayer room. Those features matter day to day, particularly for students who value an environment that recognises faith practice as part of normal life rather than an add-on.

Leadership has also been in the public eye. Ofsted’s February 2024 report lists Famida Rawoot as principal at that point, while the school and trust now name Saleh Islam as Principal; governance records show him in post from September 2024.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official data), the school is ranked 494th in England and 15th in Birmingham. That places it above England average and comfortably within the top 25% of secondary schools in England.

Academic indicators reinforce that position. Attainment 8 is 61.7, and the school’s Progress 8 score of +1.18 signals very strong progress from students’ starting points.

EBacc outcomes also read positively. The school’s average EBacc APS is 5.69, compared with an England average of 4.08. This is typically a sign of secure performance across the academic core, and it aligns with the school’s emphasis on a carefully sequenced curriculum and tight attention to knowledge building.

Parents comparing schools locally should use FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool to view these figures side by side with nearby alternatives, particularly because different schools can present very different profiles across Progress 8, EBacc, and overall attainment.

Curriculum design is one of the school’s defining strengths. External review describes a highly ambitious and rigorous curriculum, broken down into carefully sequenced knowledge so that students can build learning systematically. A specific example given is the use of focused pre-work in English to prepare students for what follows. The implication is a classroom experience that feels structured and academically serious, which tends to suit students who prefer clarity, routine, and frequent checking for understanding.

Teaching quality appears closely tied to subject expertise and shared practice. Teachers are described as experts in their subjects, adapting learning to meet students’ needs, using questioning and assessment smoothly to address misconceptions quickly. For students, that typically means fewer gaps left unaddressed and less chance of quietly falling behind.

Reading is positioned as a top priority, with the library described as central and busy, and systems in place to identify students who need additional help to read confidently and fluently. This matters for secondary outcomes across every subject, because vocabulary and comprehension are often the hidden drivers of success in history, sciences, and extended writing.

Where Students Go Next

As an 11–16 school, the main transition point is after GCSEs, when students move into sixth form or further education elsewhere. The school places strong emphasis on careers guidance within the secondary phase, including subject-linked career pathways and visits, with students described as valuing university exposure as part of raising aspiration.

For families, the practical implication is that post-16 planning matters earlier than it might in an 11–18 setting. A good question to ask at open events is where most students progress at 16, and how the school supports applications to specific local sixth forms and colleges.

Admissions are coordinated through the local authority for Year 7 entry, with a fixed national timetable. For Birmingham’s Year 7 process for September 2026 entry, the published deadline is 31 October 2025, with National Offer Day on 02 March 2026, and an appeals deadline shown as 13 April 2026.

The school is widely viewed as popular, and families should treat it as competitive. If you are considering a move, use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check practical journey distance and to sense-check shortlist choices against likely demand patterns in the area.

Because the school is an academy, its oversubscription criteria and any supplementary requirements should be checked carefully on the most recent admissions arrangements before applying, especially where faith-ethos schools may set out specific priorities.

Pastoral strength here is closely linked to culture and clarity. Students are described as showing strong self-control and positive attitudes to learning, supported by effective pastoral work and highly respectful relationships between staff and students. This kind of environment often benefits students who want to focus, feel safe, and learn in classrooms where low-level disruption is not normalised.

Personal development is treated as planned curriculum rather than optional enrichment. Examples referenced include spirituality days intended to celebrate and respect different views and cultures, plus a broad programme that responds to local, national, or international events where relevant. For parents, this signals a school that aims to develop confident, informed young adults, not only strong exam candidates.

The latest Ofsted inspection confirmed safeguarding arrangements as effective.

Extracurricular and enrichment appear designed to broaden experience, build confidence, and support character development. Activities referenced include trips and visits that enhance classroom learning, plus outside speakers from different religions and potential employers, which helps students connect school learning to adult life and the world of work.

A useful example of the school’s approach is that clubs are not only sport-led. One specifically mentioned activity is a Bake-off club, alongside wider enrichment and cultural experiences such as museum visits and theatre trips. The implication is that students with interests beyond the usual headline activities can still find a niche, and that participation is expected rather than reserved for a small minority.

The timetable structure also signals how the school uses time. Published information indicates enrichment runs Monday to Wednesday after the main finish, and intervention support is also scheduled across the week. For many families this is a positive, it can reduce the need for external tutoring and create predictable study habits. For others, it can feel like a long week, especially alongside family responsibilities and travel time.

The school is in Small Heath, and most families will prioritise walkability, bus links, or short connections from nearby neighbourhoods. Published information indicates a normal finish time of 3.05pm, with some enrichment and intervention extending later on set days.

Term dates are published by the school and include scheduled inset days and standard half-term closures, which is helpful for coordinating childcare and family commitments.

• Long, structured weeks. With enrichment and intervention scheduled beyond the main finish on multiple days, the rhythm can suit motivated students, but it may be tiring for those who need more downtime.

• No on-site sixth form. Post-16 planning starts earlier because students will transition elsewhere after GCSEs; families should ask how progression guidance works and which destinations are most common.

• High expectations as the default. The culture is built around ambition, calm conduct, and frequent participation. Students who prefer looser structure may take longer to settle.

• Faith ethos embedded. The school has an Islamic ethos and facilities aligned to it, while welcoming students from different backgrounds; families should consider whether that environment is the right fit.

Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham suits families seeking a values-led girls’ secondary where structure, calm behaviour, and academic progress are treated as non-negotiable. The inspection profile and performance indicators point to a school that does the fundamentals very well, then adds leadership development and a strong personal development programme on top. Best suited to students who thrive on clear routines, ambitious teaching, and a busy calendar; the main hurdle is navigating a competitive admissions process and ensuring the school’s ethos and extended week align with family life.