Queensbridge School Review 2026: A creative, reading-led comprehensive in Moseley

A secondary school where creative subjects sit alongside clear academic ambition, and where reading is treated as a whole-school priority rather than a bolt-on. Queensbridge is a mixed 11 to 16 foundation school in Moseley, with around 900 pupils on roll and a published capacity of 860.

The latest Ofsted inspection (17 October 2023) rated the school Good overall, with Good judgements in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Queensbridge is oversubscribed in Birmingham’s coordinated admissions process and allocates places by priority categories, then straight-line distance. The published admission number for Year 7 is 180 for September 2026 entry.

Queensbridge’s identity is built around a few consistent threads: high expectations, a visible commitment to inclusion, and a belief that culture is shaped deliberately through routines and shared language. Form time is structured through the SPARK tutor programme, which combines attendance and uniform checks with a weekly rhythm of skills, pathways, assemblies, reading, and knowledge sessions. The point is to make the “hidden curriculum” explicit: study habits, organisation, employability skills, and understanding next steps after 16 are taught, not assumed.

The atmosphere described in formal external review is largely positive, with pupils reporting pride in the school and lessons typically calm enough for focused learning. At the same time, the school does not present itself as finished. There has been a stated period of leadership change and a continued emphasis on making the school’s values real in daily conduct, particularly around respectful language and belonging.

Reading is one of the most distinctive elements of the school’s culture. The library is positioned as a central hub, with a named Reading Engagement Mentor and School Librarian (Mrs Chilton) supporting pupils to choose books and take part in structured activities. There is a steady stream of reading and writing events, including author workshops and reading groups that target particular year groups. For families who want a secondary school that treats literacy as everybody’s business, this is a meaningful signal.

Queensbridge also leans into local connection. A prominent example is Zephaniah’s Peace Garden, created following a World Book Day focus on Benjamin Zephaniah. The garden is designed as a calm social space with reading pods, layered seating, and book-title features chosen by pupils, a practical way of turning “reading culture” into a physical presence on site.

In terms of history, the school traces its roots to the early 1950s, when it opened as a Birmingham secondary modern. While the buildings and organisation have evolved, the school remains recognisably rooted in serving local families in south Birmingham.

Queensbridge sits in the middle band of secondary performance nationally, with results that suggest pupils tend to make stronger progress than might be assumed from raw positioning alone.

Ranked 1,269th in England and 29th in Birmingham for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Queensbridge’s overall outcomes align with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

On headline measures, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 53.8. Progress 8 is 0.35, indicating pupils make above-average progress from their starting points across eight qualifications. Within the English Baccalaureate, the average EBacc APS is 4.65, and 16.5% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc measure used here.

Interpreting these figures in plain terms: the progress score is an encouraging indicator for families who care about how well a school improves outcomes for a broad intake, rather than relying solely on prior attainment. The EBacc picture is more nuanced, with the school itself highlighting that EBacc participation has been rising over time and that the school has been refining how it checks progress earlier in Key Stage 3.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view GCSE performance side-by-side with nearby Birmingham schools that serve similar communities.

Teaching at Queensbridge is framed around consistency and clarity. The SPARK structure makes daily routines and learning behaviours explicit, and the school builds retrieval and consolidation into tutor time through its “knowledge” strand. This creates a common language across year groups about organisation, learning habits, and the connection between today’s work and longer-term pathways.

The curriculum is deliberately broad, with a clear commitment to creative subjects, including dance and drama, rather than treating them as peripheral. That choice has a real benefit for many pupils: it offers multiple ways to succeed, particularly for students who develop confidence through performance, design, or practical work.

There is, however, a trade-off to manage, and the school is open about the need to refine curriculum time allocation so that subjects are taught with consistent depth. In practice, this matters most for pupils who want to keep a wide set of options open into Key Stage 4. Families considering Queensbridge should look closely at Key Stage 3 subject allocation and how option pathways are shaped into GCSE choices, as this is an area where the school has been working to strengthen consistency.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described as well organised, with needs identified clearly and teaching strategies shared effectively across staff. This is an important practical point: schools can be warm and inclusive in intent, but it is the day-to-day classroom adjustments, and the coherence of targets, that determine whether pupils actually thrive.

Where Students Go Next

Queensbridge is an 11 to 16 school, so every student makes a post-16 transition into sixth form, a college, an apprenticeship, or another training route. The school treats this as a core responsibility rather than a late add-on in Year 11.

Careers education is structured, with access to a qualified careers adviser and planned encounters with employers, colleges, and training providers. The school aligns its programme to the Gatsby Benchmarks and provides families with resources and timelines for local post-16 open events. The practical implication is that Year 9 to Year 11 guidance is not only about “where to go”, it is also about how to compare options, prepare applications, and understand what different routes require.

For many families, the most helpful question is not whether university is mentioned, but whether technical education and apprenticeships are given equal status. Queensbridge’s pathways work explicitly includes employment rights and responsibilities, career options, and post-16 choices, which supports a broader range of ambitions.

Queensbridge participates in Birmingham’s coordinated admissions for Year 7 entry. Applications for September entry are made through the local authority rather than directly to the school.

For September 2026 entry, the Birmingham timetable states a closing date of 31 October 2025, with offers released on 2 March 2026. Birmingham also sets a final date for late applications and late preference changes of 31 July 2026.

Oversubscription is handled through published priority categories. For the September 2026 intake, Queensbridge’s determined admission criteria list: looked after and previously looked after children; siblings; children of staff; then distance as the tie-break within categories, calculated by straight-line measurement between home and school. The published admission number for that entry year is 180.

Queensbridge also publishes Birmingham’s historic admissions pattern information, which is a useful reminder that distance thresholds move year to year depending on applicant distribution. Parents should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their precise distance from the school gates and treat any past distance pattern as context rather than a guarantee.

Pastoral support at Queensbridge is closely tied to routines and consistency. Attendance and punctuality expectations are explicit, with clear thresholds for when a late arrival moves from “late” to “absent”, and a published school day that runs from 8.45am to 3.15pm.

The school’s approach to wellbeing is not presented as a single programme. Instead, it is embedded across: form-time structures (SPARK), citizenship and personal development (Toolkit for Life), and targeted support such as Nurture Club and quiet reading or homework sessions listed within wider learning. The practical implication is that pupils who benefit from predictable structure, and from adults regularly checking in on organisation and behaviour points, can find this environment stabilising.

The school also describes a strong careers element as part of wellbeing and future readiness, which matters in an 11 to 16 setting where Year 11 can feel like a cliff edge if options are left too late.

The October 2023 inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Queensbridge’s wider learning offer is unusually detailed and helps parents understand what pupils can actually do week to week, not merely what a school claims to value. The published clubs programme includes both staff-led and student-led options, with activities scheduled across mornings, lunchtimes, and after school.

A few examples capture the breadth and the school’s character:

• Linden Dance partnership and Linden Youth: students work with professional dancers Christopher Radford and Sara Macqueen, covering contemporary, Afro-fusion and creative skills, and the school hosts Linden Youth as a Monday evening youth company. For pupils who thrive through movement and performance, this can be a serious developmental pathway rather than a one-off workshop.

• Reading groups with a clear structure: the wider learning timetable includes invite-only reading groups and themed sessions, reinforcing that reading is treated as a skill and a habit. The “16by16” strand for Year 10 is an example of creating a purposeful reading challenge rather than relying on generic encouragement.

• Axiom (Maths) and academic clinics: invite-based sessions such as Axiom for Years 7 and 8, alongside Maths Drop-In and year-group clinics, indicate that stretch and intervention are both part of the offer. This can suit pupils who benefit from regular consolidation and guided practice.

• Creative and “niche” student-led clubs: Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer: Paint and Design, Pokémon game club, mixed media calm clubs, and knitting or crochet sessions sit alongside debate and board games. This matters socially, as it gives pupils multiple routes to belonging beyond sport alone.

Music is also visible, with ensembles such as QB Orchestra and QB Jazz Band embedded in the timetable. The implication for families is that arts participation is not confined to lesson time, it is structured as part of wider school life.

The published school day starts at 8.45am and ends at 3.15pm, with the register kept open until 9.15am. The school also communicates a practical expectation that pupils arrive on site by 8.40am.

The site is shared with Fox Hollies School, and Queensbridge advises that on-site parking is limited and reserved for operational use. For events, families should plan for off-site parking, with nearby streets such as Yew Tree Road and Ashfield Road cited as alternatives.

Queensbridge states it provides before and after school care on site. Availability and eligibility can change, so families who rely on wraparound support should confirm the current offer directly with the school.

• Entry remains competitive. The school is part of Birmingham’s coordinated admissions process, uses strict priority categories, and relies on straight-line distance as a tie-break. For families outside a likely priority range, an ambitious first preference should be balanced with realistic alternatives.

• Curriculum depth is still being refined. The school has invested in sequencing and consistency, but has also been challenged to ensure all subjects are taught with comparable depth, and that options beyond Key Stage 3 remain genuinely open. This is worth probing at open events, particularly for pupils with a specific subject pathway in mind.

• No sixth form. Students must move settings after Year 11. For many, this is positive and expands choice, but it does mean families should engage early with post-16 options and travel planning.

• Leadership transition. Recent years have included leadership change, and the school currently lists an Acting Headteacher. Families who value stability may want to understand the leadership plan for the next few years and how it affects day-to-day consistency.

Queensbridge offers a distinctive mix: a reading-led culture, visible investment in creative and performing arts, and an academic model that prioritises progress rather than relying only on intake. It is best suited to families who want a comprehensive with strong structure and a broad extracurricular menu, and who are comfortable planning early for the post-16 transition. The main limiting factor is admission, particularly for applicants without a priority category.