Deciding which school is best for your children can be a tough decision for parents.
Schools across the country are regularly inspected by the education watchdog and are graded on a four-point scale. Although they aren’t inspected every year.
‘Outstanding’ is the top rating a school can receive, ‘good’ is second, ‘requires improvement’ the third and ‘inadequate’ is the worst. Teachers at schools across the country are currently taking part in strike action for better pay and funding for schools.
In England, the National Education Union is looking for a pay rise of 12% rather than the 5% offered so far by the government for most teachers. The unions say teachers’ pay has fallen by about 24% relative to inflation since 2010.
As mums and dads weigh up the different options, we have put together a list of the secondary schools in the city which were rated as ‘requiring improvement’ during their latest inspection, according to the Ofsted website.
Here are the 15 Birmingham secondary schools which ‘require improvement’ after an Ofsted inspection:
5. Redstone Academy for Boys, Moseley
The school’s latest Ofsted report in 2022 said: “The curriculum is taught effectively in most subjects. Teachers generally know their subjects well and explain new concepts effectively. However, this is not always the case. At times, teachers do not explain new content well. They sometimes use resources that do not help pupils to learn as well as they could.” | Google
6. Jamia Islamia Birmingham, Sparkbrook
The school’s 2021 inspection said: “While many aspects of pupils’ personal development present well, the school needs to do more to support less able pupils so that all have equal opportunity to do as well as they can. Pupils’ behaviour is usually good. They pay attention in class and want to do well. There is some good-natured jostling by the tuck shop, but pupils soon fall in line when reminded about the school’s expectations.” | Google
7. George Dixon Academy, Edgbaston
The school’s latest 2022 inspection said: “Leaders have introduced a new behaviour system. Pupils are clear about how they are expected to behave, and their behaviour in lessons and in social time is usually orderly. However, inconsistencies in behaviour remain. Some pupils think that bullying and discriminatory language are still a problem. Although pupils are confident that teachers do deal with these issues, pupils do not always report them. Leaders are aware of this and are addressing this.” | Google
8. Erdington Academy
The school’s latest 2019 inspection said: “There is variability in the quality of teaching. In too many instances, teachers teach to the middle, leaving some pupils to finish work quickly while others get stuck. Some teachers do not adapt their plans to meet pupils’ needs accordingly.” | Google Street View