Cardinal Wiseman Catholic SchoolArena Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Birmingham.
Summary of the comparison
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School and Arena Academy are secondary schools in Birmingham.
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School scores 63 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Arena Academy scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is ahead on our composite score.
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School was judged strong and Arena Academy was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 47.0 for Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School and 44.5 for Arena Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School (42.7 in 2021-22, 47.0 in 2024-25) and has fallen at Arena Academy (47.5 in 2021-22, 44.5 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BirminghamCardinal Wiseman Catholic School | BirminghamArena Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C63/100Stronger figure | D54/100 | |
| Local ranking | 30th of 89 in Birmingham Stronger figure | 57th of 89 in Birmingham | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 778 | 1,039 | |
| Capacity | 645 | 900 | |
| Location | Birmingham, B44 9SR | Birmingham, B42 2PY | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 47.0 Stronger figure | 44.5 | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 49.0% Stronger figure | 39.9% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 69.1% Stronger figure | 62.7% | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 38.3% Stronger figure | 6.9% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.08 Stronger figure | 3.71 | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 149 | 233 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 778 | 1,039 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 51.3% | 39.5% | |
| English as an additional language | 19.5% | 16.4% | |
| SEN support | 15.4% | 14.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.3% | 0.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.2% | 7.8% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 27.8% | 23.4% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School
Arena Academy
Full profiles: Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School · Arena Academy