King Charles I School

About King Charles I School

King Charles I School in Kidderminster holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, with every category assessed — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — all rated Good. That consistency is worth noting, but the most telling academic metric is its Progress 8 score of -0.33, which places the school in the 'Below average' banding nationally. This means that, on average, pupils achieved about a third of a grade less per subject across eight GCSEs than students with similar prior attainment elsewhere. In the West Midlands, that ranks King Charles I 253rd out of 371 schools, and within Worcestershire it sits 20th out of 47 state secondaries. The local authority average Progress 8 is -0.21, so the school is slightly behind the typical Worcestershire school, though it's worth remembering that the LA itself is below the national average of zero.

At Key Stage 4, the school's Attainment 8 score sits at 43.3, and 56.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, dropping to 37.3% at grade 5 or above. The EBacc entry rate is high at 71.9%, but only 23.8% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 5 or above. In the sixth form, the picture is mixed: the average A-level points per entry is 27.29, equivalent to a C- grade, and the value-added score of -0.28 is also classed as 'Below average'. The best three A-levels average out at a C grade, and just 9.7% of entries were at AAB or higher. Compared with its previous inspection in 2011, when the sixth form was rated 'Requires Improvement' (grade 3), the current Good rating for sixth-form provision represents clear progress.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 283 applications for 217 places, with 195 first-preference offers made. Facilities are strong for a state school, including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, science labs, art studios, and a dedicated sixth form centre. There is a broad range of clubs and sports, from Young Enterprise and Model UN to athletics and dance. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, SEMH, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. King Charles I is a solidly Good school that suits families who value a wide extracurricular offer and a sixth form on site, but whose academic outcomes, particularly Progress 8, are below the local average.

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