Cardinal Wiseman Catholic SchoolBarr Beacon School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School and Barr Beacon School are secondary schools.
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School scores 64 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Barr Beacon School scores 63 out of 100 (grade C, average). Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is ahead on our composite score.
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School was judged strong and Barr Beacon School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 48.0 for Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School and 50.4 for Barr Beacon School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School (42.7 in 2021-22, 48.0 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Barr Beacon School (54.7 in 2021-22, 50.4 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BirminghamCardinal Wiseman Catholic School | WalsallBarr Beacon School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C64/100Stronger figure | C63/100 | |
| Local ranking | 31st of 89 in Birmingham | 4th of 19 in Walsall | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 788 | 1,469 | |
| Capacity | 645 | 1,487 | |
| Location | Birmingham, B44 9SR | Walsall, WS9 0RF | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 48.0 | 50.4 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 43.7% | 56.9% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 65.5% | 77.5% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 142 | 253 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | Not reported | 115 | |
| A-level average points | Not reported | 33.0 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | Not reported | C+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | Not reported | 33.8 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | Not reported | 9.8% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 778 | 1,501 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 51.3% | 23.2% | |
| English as an additional language | 19.5% | 7.1% | |
| SEN support | 15.4% | 10.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.3% | 1.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.2% | 6.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 27.8% | 19.5% 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
Barr Beacon School
Full profiles: Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School · Barr Beacon School