King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy
New Street, Frankley, Birmingham, B45 0EUOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy is a secondary school in Birmingham for ages 11 to 16. It is one of the 501 schools in Birmingham. It ranks 63rd of 87 secondary schools in Birmingham. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 31 January 2024, report published 14 March 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 31 January 2024
Pupils and staff are rightly proud of how much Balaam Wood has improved over recent years. They enjoy belonging to a vibrant school community where caring, respectful relationships are the norm. Daily life reflects the school's values of being bold, ambitious, collaborative and kind. From the uniform checks as they arrive at school, to the revision sessions Year 11 have after school, pupils know that staff have high expectations of them and want them to be successful. The vast majority of pupils are keen to learn and work hard in lessons. Their work shows that they learn well and can apply their knowledge independently. They manage their behaviour well at social times and move around the school in a calm, orderly manner. Older pupils talk about how much behaviour and learning have improved during their time at the school. Pupils enjoy the opportunities that they have to learn beyond the classroom, including residential trips and author visits. Many pupils make the most of the extra- curricular activities on offer. This includes many clubs, police cadets, the newly- launched Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the various strands of the school's partnership with Birmingham City Football Club.
What the school should improve
- Sometimes, tasks that are used to assess pupils' learning do not have enough focus on the important component knowledge. As a result, some staff do not have a precise enough understanding of what pupils have learned at each step in the learning process. The school should ensure that assessment tasks support the effective building of pupils' cumulative knowledge.
- There are occasions when the feedback given to pupils is too broad to be of good use. It does not identify the gap or misconception relevant to each pupil. This means that pupils do not understand exactly what they need to do to improve their work. The school should ensure that its approaches to assessment enable more specific feedback for pupils.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
75 pupils in the year group
Pupil numbers and mix
423 pupils on roll, with places for 546
Schools near King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colmers School and Sixth Form College | 0.8 miles | Report card: Expected standard | Attainment 8: 41.7 |
| Waseley Hills High School | 1 mile | Ofsted judgements: Good | Attainment 8: 40.5 |
| Turves Green Boys' School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 37.3 |
| King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 46.0 |
| King Edward VI Five Ways School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 75.9 |
School details
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- KING EDWARD VI ACADEMY TRUST BIRMINGHAM
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- No
- Headteacher
- Mr Martin Cross
- Phone
- 01214649901
- Address
- New Street, Frankley, Birmingham, B45 0EU
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- URN
- 147440
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.