Park Hall Academy

About Park Hall Academy

Park Hall Academy’s Progress 8 score of -0.34 places it below the Solihull local authority average of -0.12, meaning that, on average, pupils here achieve about a third of a grade less per subject than their peers across the borough. This puts the school 12th out of 15 state secondaries in Solihull, in the bottom half locally and within the bottom 50 per cent nationally. The gap is most pronounced in the EBacc subjects, where Progress 8 falls to -0.7, and in maths and English, which sit at -0.44 and -0.41 respectively. However, the open element of Progress 8 — which covers non-EBacc qualifications — is actually slightly positive at +0.12, suggesting that pupils perform better in vocational or creative subjects. That split is an important detail for parents weighing up whether the school’s curriculum mix matches their child’s strengths.

At GCSE, 64.5 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, but only 40.1 per cent reached the stronger grade 5 benchmark. The EBacc average point score sits at 3.72, and just 28.4 per cent of pupils entered the full EBacc suite. Attainment 8, which measures total GCSE performance across eight subjects, is 44.9 — roughly equivalent to a mix of grade 4s and 5s. In the sixth form, the picture is similar: the value-added score of -0.25 is classed as below average, with students averaging 31.84 points per entry (roughly a C+ grade). Only 9.1 per cent of A-level entries were graded AAB or higher. The sixth form itself was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection, and the school as a whole has improved from a Requires Improvement rating in 2015 to Good in 2017, a grade it has maintained through a 2023 ungraded inspection.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26, there were 570 applications for 234 places, with 284 first-preference applications and 224 first-preference offers — a ratio of 2.44 applicants per place. Facilities include a theatre, music rooms, a sixth form centre, science labs, and a chapel, while the sports programme covers football, netball, swimming, rowing, and gymnastics. There is a broad range of SEND provision, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Clubs such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise, and gardening offer enrichment beyond the classroom. Park Hall is a large, mixed, non-denominational secondary with a sixth form, and its data suggests it suits families who value a wide curriculum offer and strong extracurricular provision, but who are realistic about academic outcomes that sit below the local average.

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