Holy Trinity Catholic School Review 2026: Faith-led secondary in Small Heath with standout behaviour and strong personal development

Form time begins at 8:30am, setting a clear rhythm for the day and signalling that routines matter here. Holy Trinity is a Catholic secondary for ages 11 to 16 in Small Heath, serving a highly diverse community and drawing pupils from a wide network of feeder primaries. The school’s Catholic identity is explicit, but its day-to-day culture is shaped by mixed-faith reality, including a large Muslim pupil community alongside Catholic and other faith backgrounds.

Academically, the headline picture is mixed. The school’s GCSE performance sits below England average on FindMySchool’s ranking, but the wider experience is not defined solely by exam metrics. Behaviour, relationships, pupil voice, and careers guidance come through as major strengths, supported by clear systems, a broad personal development programme, and a strong emphasis on inclusion.

Leadership is also in a moment of change. From 1 January 2026, Mrs Jo Daw moved into the role of Interim Headteacher, with a substantive appointment planned to take effect from 1 September 2026 (or earlier if agreed).

Holy Trinity has been on its current Small Heath site since 1988, with a history that reaches back to its opening in 1975. That matters because it frames the school as a long-standing local institution rather than a new entrant trying to invent its identity. A sequence of headteachers has shaped the modern era, including Mr Tom Temple’s 18-year tenure after the 1988 move and Mr Colin Crehan’s appointment as headteacher in 2016.

The Catholic character is not presented as a light touch. The school states that Christ is at the centre of its mission, with prayer and liturgy integrated into daily life, and with Catholic social teaching influencing how it talks about justice, service, and community responsibility. At the same time, the school is candid about its faith demographics, describing a context where Catholic pupils are a minority and Muslim pupils form a very large proportion of the roll. That combination, clear Catholic identity and practical multi-faith inclusion, is one of the most defining aspects for families to understand.

A strong feature of the school’s culture is pupil voice and structured participation. Named pupil groups include an environment team, a mental health and wellbeing group, and the Yes/No programme. These are not decorative titles. The intent is to give pupils concrete ways to shape school life and to build leadership habits in a setting where many pupils face barriers outside school.

Leadership transition is another important atmosphere factor for 2026. The school has publicly communicated that Mrs Jo Daw became Interim Headteacher from 1 January 2026, and that the headteacher post is being re-advertised with the intention of a substantive appointment from September 2026. For families, this creates two practical implications. First, day-to-day leadership continuity is planned, rather than an abrupt gap. Second, parents considering entry should pay attention to the direction the permanent appointment sets, especially around curriculum consistency and outcomes.

Holy Trinity’s GCSE performance sits below England average on FindMySchool’s measures. Ranked 3023rd in England and 78th in Birmingham for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), this reflects a school still working to convert strong culture and high expectations into consistently stronger exam results across subjects.

The most useful single indicator here is Progress 8. A score of -0.12 suggests pupils make slightly below average progress from their starting points compared with pupils nationally, once prior attainment is taken into account. That does not mean pupils do not achieve, but it indicates that, overall, outcomes could be stronger relative to starting points.

Other indicators point in a similar direction. The school’s EBacc average point score is 3.36, below the England average of 4.08. This is relevant for families who want a strongly academic EBacc pathway, particularly where languages and humanities are a priority alongside maths and English.

The context matters. The school itself describes significantly below-average starting points on entry and high levels of need in the community it serves. A fair reading is that Holy Trinity is doing much of the hard work that never shows up cleanly in headline GCSE measures, including literacy catch-up, consistent behaviour routines, and pastoral stabilisation. The challenge is to make sure that, by Year 11, subject outcomes are more consistently strong across the full curriculum, not only in pockets.

Parents comparing local options can use FindMySchool’s Birmingham local hub and the Comparison Tool to view nearby schools side by side, using the same underlying methodology for rankings and exam indicators.

The school’s curriculum intent and classroom practice place a clear emphasis on knowledge building, literacy, and consistency. Reading, in particular, is treated as a whole-school priority. The school runs a structured approach to supporting pupils at an early stage of reading and uses assessment to pinpoint needs and track improvement over time. The practical implication for families is that pupils who arrive below age-related expectations should find a school that is set up to intervene early, rather than leaving reading gaps to widen across Key Stage 3.

SEND and inclusion are not treated as bolt-ons. The school has a named inclusion base, the Drexel Centre, and describes it as supporting vulnerable pupils and pupils with SEND. The SEND information report outlines a team structure that includes ELSA-trained staff, targeted mentoring, bespoke support within the Drexel Centre, and access to specialist input such as a weekly communication and autism specialist. There is also reference to external counselling support and a clear set of categories of need the school is set up to support, including communication and interaction needs, cognition and learning needs, and SEMH-related barriers.

Assessment is used in a practical, classroom-facing way, not only as a reporting tool. Teachers use assessment techniques to check what pupils know and remember; gaps and misconceptions are then used to shape next steps. That matters most in a school serving a wide range of starting points, because it reduces the risk of pupils quietly falling behind across multiple subjects.

A key development point, based on the latest inspection evidence, is curriculum consistency in a small number of subjects. The implication for parents is not that the curriculum is weak, but that standards and sequencing may be more secure in some departments than others. When visiting, ask directly how subject leaders ensure consistent expectations and whether curriculum development work is still underway in particular areas.

Holy Trinity is an 11 to 16 school, so the main transition point is post-16, either to sixth forms or colleges across Birmingham and beyond. The school places strong weight on careers education and transition planning, with targeted support for pupils who need an extra push to raise aspirations and make informed choices.

For many families, the biggest practical question is: what does Year 11 feel like here? The school’s structure suggests a setting where pupils are expected to work hard, and where support is available when barriers appear. This can suit pupils who need both firm boundaries and reliable adult guidance, particularly during GCSE years.

Because destination statistics are not published in the provided dataset for this school, and the school does not present quantified leaver destinations on its website in the sources reviewed, it is best to treat post-16 progression as a discussion topic during open events. Ask which providers are most commonly chosen, what guidance Year 11 pupils receive, and how the school supports applications to competitive sixth forms, apprenticeships, and specialist routes.

Admissions sit within Birmingham’s co-ordinated admissions system, with the school’s trust acting as admissions authority. In practice, this means two things. First, families apply through their home local authority. Second, there is also a Supplementary Information Form that must be returned directly to the school by the same deadline as the main application.

For September 2026 entry into Year 7, the statutory closing date for applications in Birmingham was 31 October 2025. National Offer Day for Birmingham’s secondary transfer process is shown as 2 March 2026, reflecting the standard national schedule when 1 March falls on a weekend.

As a Catholic school, the admissions policy gives priority to Catholic children when oversubscribed, with additional criteria covering looked-after and previously looked-after children and other groups. The policy also makes clear that families of other faiths can apply and be admitted. For non-Catholic families, the practical implication is that entry can be realistic, but criteria ordering matters. Families should read the oversubscription criteria carefully and ensure all required evidence is submitted on time.

Demand is real. Recent admissions data shows 455 applications for 148 offers, around 3.07 applications per place, consistent with an oversubscribed school. For families, this is a reminder to treat Holy Trinity as a competitive option and to plan preferences accordingly. If distance data is a deciding factor in your broader shortlist, FindMySchool’s Map Search tool is useful for checking how your home location compares with likely priority areas across Birmingham schools.

Transition support is clearly signposted. The school’s Year 6 to Year 7 transition guidance references the Birmingham application window in October, results in early March, and a transition day typically held at the start of July.

Pastoral strength is one of Holy Trinity’s most convincing features. The school uses structured behaviour expectations, combined with a restorative element that aims to return pupils to learning quickly after issues arise. The practical implication is a setting where boundaries are clear, but the goal is repair and progress rather than exclusion as a default.

Pupil voice structures are part of wellbeing rather than separate from it. The mental health and wellbeing group and the Yes/No programme are framed as meaningful ways for pupils to develop agency and confidence. Wider personal development is also planned deliberately, including form time content that connects to practical life skills, relationships education delivered in an age-appropriate way, and financial understanding supported by curriculum links.

Support for pupils with SEND and other vulnerabilities is bolstered by the Drexel Centre and a broad set of pastoral roles described in the SEND information report. This includes ELSA-trained staff delivering nurture and one-to-one support, as well as specialist input such as weekly autism and communication support and access to counselling support. For families weighing fit, this matters most when a child needs consistent emotional regulation support alongside mainstream lessons.

The latest Ofsted report confirmed safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular life is not treated as an optional extra, and the range of named activities suggests a school that uses enrichment to build confidence, belonging, and aspiration.

A good example is the Debate Club, described as a practical route to improving spoken language and oracy, running weekly and feeding into competitions across the academy trust. The implication is that pupils who are quiet or lacking confidence can find structured opportunities to develop public speaking skills, which then supports performance in English, humanities, and interviews later on.

STEM and wider academic enrichment also show up through named provision. The Spring term extracurricular list includes a KS3 Science Club, alongside science homework support and higher prior attainment group tuition in core subjects. For pupils aiming to strengthen foundations, this can be particularly helpful because it extends learning time in a supported format rather than relying solely on home study.

Civic and values-based clubs fit naturally with the school’s Catholic social teaching focus. The Active Citizen Club appears as a named option in the extracurricular timetable, reinforcing the school’s intent to link faith, ethics, and community contribution in a practical way.

Sport is supported by facilities that match the ambition, including a sports hall, dance studio, astro football pitch, basketball court, and playing field. The extracurricular sport offer includes girls’ basketball and football options, and a wider timetable that changes by term. The implication is that pupils can access structured sport without it being limited to a small elite cohort.

The school day is clearly timetabled. Form time and assemblies run from 8:30am to 9:00am, with five periods and a 3:00pm finish. Break is scheduled mid-morning and lunch runs 1:20pm to 2:00pm.

Transport links are a practical advantage for many Birmingham families. The school states that bus routes 8, X1, X2, and 60 have stops close by, and that Small Heath train station is around a 10-minute walk with direct trains to Birmingham Moor Street and through south Birmingham towards Stratford-upon-Avon.

Because this is a secondary school, wraparound care is not typically a core offer in the way it is at primary level. The school does not present a standard before-school or after-school childcare model for younger children; instead, families should focus on clubs and supervised study spaces such as the library opening windows where relevant.

• Academic outcomes are the development area. The school’s GCSE ranking sits below England average, and Progress 8 is slightly negative. Families prioritising consistently high exam outcomes across all subjects should probe subject-by-subject improvement work and how Year 11 intervention is structured.

• Leadership transition through 2026. With an Interim Headteacher from 1 January 2026 and a substantive appointment planned from 1 September 2026, families should ask how strategic priorities will be maintained and what changes, if any, are expected in curriculum, staffing, or behaviour systems.

• Faith ethos is real and visible. The Catholic mission is central, including worship and Catholic social teaching. This can suit families who want values-led schooling, but those uncomfortable with a strong Catholic identity should look carefully at how faith life is integrated.

• Oversubscription means timing and paperwork matter. Applications for Year 7 are competitive and require both the local authority application and the Supplementary Information Form by the deadline.

Holy Trinity is at its strongest where culture makes learning possible: behaviour expectations are high, relationships are purposeful, pupil voice is structured, and personal development is treated as core rather than decorative. Academically, the school has clear room to improve GCSE outcomes across subjects, but it is not a school without ambition or systems.

Who it suits: families seeking a faith-led secondary with a strong inclusion focus, clear routines, and a broad personal development offer, particularly where a child benefits from structured expectations and pastoral scaffolding. The main challenge is entry, and for some families, the academic profile may require careful comparison with nearby alternatives.