A small, community-rooted independent secondary for boys, Redstone Academy for Boys places faith, conduct and belonging alongside academic learning. The school opened in September 2004 and moved to its current Moseley Road premises in 2010, a relocation the school describes as a step change in space and ambition.
Leadership is currently under Mr Saadat Rasool, who the school says stepped into the headteacher role in 2018. The most recent Ofsted inspection (23 to 25 January 2024) graded the school Good overall, with Behaviour and attitudes judged Outstanding, and safeguarding confirmed as effective.
This is a deliberately compact setting, with a published capacity of 152. Families considering it should expect a school day shaped by clear expectations and a strong moral narrative, with particular emphasis on pupils’ personal development and their role in wider society.
Redstone Academy for Boys presents itself as a school where Islamic values are taught explicitly and expected to show up in daily behaviour. The language on the school’s own materials is direct about purpose, sincerity, honesty, respect, responsibility and courage are framed as core habits, not optional extras. The most recent inspection aligns with that positioning, describing a strong culture of mutual respect and a clear sense of belonging among pupils.
Size matters here. With a comparatively small roll relative to its official capacity, the social experience is typically more contained than at a large Birmingham comprehensive. For some pupils, that creates psychological safety and fewer distractions, particularly when expectations are consistent across staff. For others, it can feel narrow socially, especially if a child wants a very broad peer group or a wide range of niche activities.
The school’s history page is also unusually specific about its physical development. It describes an early two-block start in 2004 and then, after the 2010 move, larger classrooms with significant daylight via large windows and skylights. Those details matter for day-to-day experience, bright teaching spaces tend to suit pupils who concentrate better in calmer, uncluttered environments, and they support a “businesslike” learning tone without needing it to feel austere.
FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking places Redstone Academy for Boys at 4,111th in England and 106th in Birmingham. This level of performance sits below England average, placing it within the lower band of schools nationally (60th to 100th percentile).
On the curriculum side, the available attainment indicators point to a weak EBacc picture, with 0% recorded as achieving grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure captured. For parents, the practical implication is to look closely at subject entry patterns and the balance between the school’s broader aims and examination outcomes, especially if your child is targeting a highly academic post-16 route.
If you are comparing options locally, the FindMySchool local comparison tools can be helpful for putting this performance profile alongside nearby Birmingham secondaries, particularly for families weighing ethos and pastoral priorities against headline outcomes.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
GCSE 9–7
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% of students achieving grades 9-7
The school’s direction of travel is towards a more clearly sequenced, knowledge-led curriculum. The January 2024 inspection describes leaders defining the precise knowledge pupils need and ordering content so new learning builds logically on what pupils have already been taught. In many subjects, teaching is described as effective, with strong subject knowledge and purposeful assessment supporting retention.
There are, however, two important caveats from the same inspection evidence. First, targeted support for pupils who struggle with reading was described as being at an early stage, with the school still developing a programme and not yet having a clear enough view of pupils’ reading gaps. Second, in a small number of subjects, teaching was held back by weaker subject knowledge and task design, leading to misconceptions and gaps for some pupils.
For families, the key is fit. Pupils who respond well to structure, clear boundaries and a values-driven environment may thrive, particularly if they already have secure literacy. Pupils with fragile reading may need parents to probe what targeted intervention currently looks like, how quickly gaps are assessed, and how progress is checked over a term.
There is no sixth form, so pupils leave after Year 11 and move into sixth form colleges, school sixth forms, apprenticeships or other training routes. The January 2024 inspection notes that pupils have encounters with the world of work and that leaders are working to broaden those encounters and match them more closely to pupils’ goals.
In practical terms, parents should ask two very specific questions: how the school supports applications to post-16 providers (course selection, personal statements where needed, interview preparation) and how it guides pupils towards technical and apprenticeship routes as well as academic ones. This matters more in a Year 11 leaver school, because the post-16 transition is the main exit point and the quality of guidance can materially affect destinations.
Admissions are handled directly by the school via its application process, rather than through a Local Authority coordinated Year 7 scheme. The school advertises an open day format and has previously promoted an evening open event in late November, which suggests open days typically sit in the autumn term. For current dates, families should rely on the school’s published notices for the relevant year.
Because this is an independent school with a relatively small roll, entry can be less about beating a strict distance cut-off and more about whether there is space in the relevant year group, plus the fit between family expectations and the school’s ethos. The school’s own positioning is explicit, it is an Islamic boys’ setting with a clear moral framework, and families should be comfortable with that being woven into daily life.
Pastoral culture is one of the school’s clearer strengths on the most recent evidence. The January 2024 inspection confirms safeguarding is effective and describes pupils who feel they belong, trust staff and show commitment to learning. Behaviour is a particular positive, judged Outstanding, which matters for families prioritising calm classrooms and predictable routines.
That said, the same inspection also highlights that oversight and monitoring are not consistently rigorous, including issues such as register coding accuracy and uneven curriculum implementation checks. For parents, this is less about day-to-day warmth and more about operational sharpness. A sensible admissions visit question is how leaders now quality-assure teaching across subjects and how quickly issues are identified and corrected.
The school’s enrichment headings emphasise projects, cross-curricular days, learning outside the classroom and clubs, though detailed current club lists are not consistently published in accessible form. What is clear from official evidence is that personal development is treated as a core pillar, not an add-on. The January 2024 inspection notes activities such as a diversity day and fundraising linked to local mosques and food banks, which are used to build civic understanding and social responsibility.
Educational visits also feature in the school’s published archive. One example is a structured Umrah trip described by a pupil, linked to a partnership used to organise travel and learning across two holy cities, framed as both spiritual and educational experience. While this is a historical example, it signals the kind of faith-aligned enrichment the school considers meaningful.
For parents seeking sport, older formal inspection evidence gives concrete examples of activities the school has run, including football and ju-jitsu as after-school options. The sensible approach is to treat those as indicative rather than guaranteed, then ask for the current term’s programme during an admissions conversation.
*Bursaries may be available for eligible families.
Basis: per year
Term dates for the academic year are published, including the pattern of autumn, spring and summer terms. Daily start and finish times, and any structured before-school or after-school provision, are not consistently published in an accessible format, so families should clarify this directly during the admissions process.
The school sits in Balsall Heath on the Moseley Road corridor, which is useful context for travel planning, especially for families balancing independent schooling with a Birmingham commute.
For 2025 to 2026, the school publishes fees of £3,780 per year, with equivalents shown as £1,260 per term or £315 per month. The fee notice also states that these figures exclude IGCSE and GCSE fees, so parents should budget for additional examination-related costs in Key Stage 4.
Financial support appears to be available via a bursary process, with a bursary form referenced within the school’s admissions area. The school does not clearly publish an overall percentage of pupils receiving bursaries in accessible materials, so families who require fee assistance should ask what typical awards look like and how decisions are made.
Academic outcomes profile. FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking places the school well below England average, so families prioritising top-end examination outcomes should probe subject-by-subject strength and expected progress for pupils with similar starting points.
No sixth form. All pupils transition after Year 11, so the quality of careers guidance and post-16 application support is central to the experience.
Reading support is still developing. Official evidence indicates targeted reading intervention is not yet fully established for pupils who struggle, which is important for any child entering with weaker literacy.
Ethos fit matters. This is a values-led Islamic setting; families should be comfortable with faith and moral education forming part of daily school life.
Redstone Academy for Boys is best understood as a small independent school offering a tightly structured environment where behaviour, respect and personal development carry real weight. The latest inspection evidence supports a calm culture with effective safeguarding and particularly strong behaviour standards.
Who it suits: families seeking an Islamic boys’ secondary in Birmingham, who value a clear moral framework and disciplined classrooms, and who are comfortable engaging actively with the school on academic trajectory and post-16 planning. The limiting factor is not usually the ethos, it is whether the academic outcomes and subject-level consistency match your child’s ambitions.
The most recent Ofsted inspection (23 to 25 January 2024) graded the school Good overall and judged behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, with safeguarding confirmed as effective. This points to a well-ordered culture and clear expectations. Academic outcomes in the FindMySchool GCSE rankings are weaker, so “good” here is most strongly evidenced in conduct, ethos and personal development rather than headline results.
For 2025 to 2026, published fees are £3,780 per year, also presented as £1,260 per term or £315 per month. The school notes these figures exclude IGCSE and GCSE fees, so examination-related costs may be additional.
Applications are made directly to the school using its application route, rather than via a Local Authority coordinated process. The school has promoted open day events in the autumn term in previous years, so families should check the current schedule and apply in good time for the relevant year group.
No. The age range is 11 to 16, so pupils leave after Year 11 and move into sixth form colleges, school sixth forms or training routes.
Behaviour is a documented strength, judged Outstanding at the most recent inspection. Safeguarding is confirmed as effective, and pupils are described as having a strong sense of belonging and positive relationships with peers and staff.
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