Erdington Academy Review 2026: A calm, structured secondary with a strong personal development offer

A school day built around routines and clarity shapes much of life at Erdington Academy. Expectations are explicit, behaviour systems are consistent, and students are encouraged to engage beyond lessons through structured enrichment and leadership opportunities. The most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2023, judged the school Good across all key areas.

Erdington Academy is a state secondary serving students aged 11 to 16 in Erdington, Birmingham. It opened in its current academy form on 01 September 2016 and sits within the Fairfax Multi-Academy Trust, which provides shared governance and support across the trust’s schools.

Leadership is clearly identified in official records and on the academy’s own publications. The current Principal is Mr Simon Mallett.

Order and predictability are presented as deliberate choices rather than cosmetic features. The academy’s published materials consistently stress a calm, purposeful learning climate, with staff training and shared approaches designed to make expectations consistent across classrooms. That matters most for families who want structure, predictable boundaries, and reduced classroom friction, especially for students who can lose focus when routines vary between teachers.

The values language is prominent and repeatedly reinforced. In official inspection commentary and academy communications, values are framed not as aspirational posters but as the basis for how adults talk about conduct, respect, and inclusion. The inspection narrative also indicates a culture where bullying is treated seriously, where pupils can describe it as uncommon, and where trained anti-bullying ambassadors are part of the student support picture. For parents, the practical implication is that concerns about social safety should meet an established response system rather than an ad hoc approach.

Inclusion is positioned as a core expectation. Students with special educational needs and disabilities follow the same ambitious curriculum as their peers, with staff training focused on identifying needs and matching support and interventions appropriately. When this works well, it helps avoid the common secondary school pattern where students receiving additional support are narrowed into a reduced experience.

There is, however, an important caveat that families should take seriously. The most recent inspection highlights that some discriminatory language, including homophobic language, is still heard by pupils at times, and that leaders are actively working to eradicate it. This does not mean the school tolerates it, but it does mean families should ask direct questions about how incidents are logged, challenged, and followed up, particularly if your child is likely to be affected by this area.

This is a school with published GCSE performance indicators that sit below England average overall, based on the available metrics and the school’s positioning within the FindMySchool ranking banding.

Ranked 3,272nd in England and 88th in Birmingham for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data)

This places the school below England average overall.

On the headline GCSE measures available here, the academy’s Attainment 8 score is 39.2 and Progress 8 is -0.12. Progress 8 below zero typically indicates that, on average, pupils make less progress than pupils nationally with similar starting points. The most constructive way to read this as a parent is not as a verdict on your child’s trajectory, but as a signal to look closely at the school’s improvement story, subject strength variation, and the fit between your child and the school’s approach to routines, reading, and classroom culture.

The inspection evidence also matters for interpreting results because it describes a school that has been improving the quality of education, refining curriculum sequencing, and strengthening teaching consistency. It points to strong subject knowledge in teaching, with English singled out as a strength, and to reading being treated as a priority in Key Stage 3. If your child’s confidence in reading is fragile, that strategic emphasis can be more important than a single aggregated performance figure.

The academy’s curriculum story is built around sequencing, literacy, and habit formation. In practical terms, that means students are expected to learn content in a planned order, revisit key knowledge, and work within routines that reduce ambiguity about what a lesson should look like. This approach tends to suit students who like clarity and who respond well to predictable classroom structures.

Reading is treated as a specific improvement lever rather than something left to English lessons alone. Staff training and targeted support are described as helping pupils who find reading difficult, with reported gains in confidence at Key Stage 3. For families, the implication is that students who arrive below age-related expectations in reading may find the school more active about closing that gap than many secondaries that rely mainly on pastoral encouragement rather than structured intervention.

A further element is the school’s focus on helping students articulate their learning. Inspection evidence suggests that while this is strong in some subjects, in others students are not always given sufficient opportunities to discuss ideas in a way that helps teachers diagnose misconceptions quickly. Parents of students who learn best through talk, debate, and explanation should ask how departments build speaking and reasoning into lessons, particularly outside English and humanities.

Erdington Academy is an 11 to 16 provision, so the key transition point is after Year 11. The academy positions progression as a blend of sixth form, college, and apprenticeship pathways, supported by careers education, fairs, external speakers, and apprenticeship-focused activity days. In the most recent inspection narrative, the careers programme is described as well planned, with a clear emphasis on helping pupils understand options and make informed choices, including technical routes.

A distinctive practical point for local families is the explicit link into the Fairfax Sixth Form for Years 12 and 13 access. This matters because it gives students a clear in-trust route for post-16 study, which can simplify transition planning for families who want continuity of approach and a familiar trust structure after GCSEs.

The academy also describes a strong culture around personal development and enrichment, which can be relevant to post-16 destinations even when headline academic metrics are still catching up. Students who can point to leadership roles, sustained participation in enrichment, and programmes like Duke of Edinburgh may be better positioned for interviews, apprenticeships, and sixth form applications where commitment and reliability are part of the selection picture.

Year 7 admissions for Erdington Academy sit within Birmingham’s coordinated admissions system for secondary schools. For September 2026 entry, Birmingham’s timetable states that applications opened 01 September 2025, the closing date was 31 October 2025, and National Offer Day is 02 March 2026. Appeals have a stated submission deadline of 13 April 2026.

The academy’s own admissions page highlights Year 6 open evenings and indicates that families should check for dates as they are published. Because open events can change year to year, families should treat the timing as typically autumn term for the relevant admissions cycle, and confirm the current schedule directly with the academy.

In-year admissions are also signposted, with a route through Birmingham’s in-year process and an emphasis on providing proof of address documentation. This is particularly relevant for families moving into Erdington or those seeking a managed move mid-year.

Parents weighing competitiveness should keep two realities in view. First, the school describes itself as popular locally and oversubscribed in trust recruitment materials. Second, cut-off distances and offer patterns vary annually across Birmingham depending on applicant distribution, so it is sensible to treat any informal local commentary as unreliable and focus on the coordinated admissions criteria and timelines.

As a practical step, families shortlisting multiple Birmingham secondaries should use FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand travel time, local alternatives, and how your home location interacts with distance-based criteria where they apply.

Pastoral systems are presented as part of the school’s improvement story. The inspection narrative highlights that leaders have introduced clear behaviour systems and staff training to build consistency, with behaviour and punctuality improving as a result. That kind of consistency tends to benefit students who struggle when boundaries shift between lessons or when teacher expectations differ too much across departments.

Safeguarding is reported as effective, with detailed record keeping and staff training that includes local risk factors. A specific improvement point is the coherence of safeguarding record systems, where the school was operating more than one system, making it harder for leaders to hold a single overview. For parents, the right response is not alarm, but diligence. Ask how safeguarding concerns are recorded today, whether systems have been consolidated, and how leadership maintains oversight across pupils who may need multi-agency support.

There is also an explicit emphasis on helping students stay safe in the local context, with personal development content that addresses specific risks and encourages students to challenge derogatory language. Parents of younger Year 7 pupils may value that direct approach, particularly if the child is transitioning from a smaller primary environment and needs clear guidance on how secondary communities work.

Erdington Academy’s enrichment offer is not described as an optional extra. It is framed as an organised programme with clubs and visits, plus structured opportunities for leadership and contribution. The “Erdington Edge” programme is a core part of this, and it is presented as a route to participation, responsibility, and broader experiences beyond the timetable.

Clubs are particularly useful for evaluating fit because they show what a school thinks matters. In the inspection report, pupils refer positively to clubs such as journalism, gardening, guitar and games clubs. These choices are meaningful because they span creative, practical, and social interests, which can help students who do not define themselves primarily through sport.

The school also publishes activity timetables that make the offer concrete. Examples include Maths Club, STEM Club, Guitar Club, Business Club, and Cooking Club, plus creative options such as rehearsals for school productions. For students who can feel disconnected in a purely academic routine, joining one consistent club can be the difference between simply attending and genuinely belonging.

Sport is a visible pillar, supported by facilities and external links. The academy’s published prospectus references two 4G astroturf pitches and an on-site leisure centre, and recent PE timetables show structured after-school activity, including cricket coaching and community clubs. This combination typically benefits students who need physical activity as part of their weekly rhythm, and it also provides an accessible route to positive peer groups, which matters in Year 7 and Year 8.

Duke of Edinburgh is another sustained strand, described as integral to the school for over two decades. For parents, this is useful because it signals that the programme is not a one-off trip but a long-running structure, usually supported by staff who understand how to guide students through volunteering, skills development, and expedition requirements.

The academy publishes detailed timings. Breakfast is available 08:15 to 08:40, with arrival and preparation from 08:40, and the school day running through to 15:10, after which extra-curricular activities run.

As a state school, there are no tuition fees. Families should still plan for the typical secondary costs such as uniform, equipment, and paid trips where applicable.

Travel planning matters in this part of Birmingham. The academy’s induction materials advise families to plan for morning traffic and to consider safety and timing for bus travel, particularly for new Year 7 starters building independence.

• Academic outcomes are below England average overall. The GCSE ranking and Progress 8 figure indicate that results remain an area where improvement is still needed, even with a positive inspection judgement. Families should ask about subject-level strengths, targeted intervention, and how the school supports high prior attainers as well as those catching up.

• Discriminatory language is a stated improvement priority. Leaders are working to eradicate incidents, but the issue is still present at times. If this is likely to affect your child, ask how incidents are challenged, recorded, and followed through.

• Safeguarding record coherence has been highlighted as an area to tighten. Safeguarding is reported as effective, but parents should ask what systems are used now and how leadership ensures a single overview for pupils who need support.

• Talk-based learning may vary by subject. Where classroom discussion is central to how your child learns, ask how departments build structured talk into lessons and how misconceptions are spotted early.

Erdington Academy offers a clearly structured secondary experience with strong emphasis on routines, reading, personal development, and participation beyond lessons. The Good inspection judgement supports a picture of improving culture and consistent expectations, even while results data indicates that academic outcomes are still an area for sustained progress.

Who it suits

students who benefit from clarity, predictable boundaries, and a school that actively encourages structured enrichment and leadership. Families prioritising the very strongest academic outcomes should scrutinise departmental performance, intervention, and stretch pathways, and compare options using FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools before deciding.