Holly Lodge High School College of Science
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Holly Lodge High School College of Science is a foundation school in Smethwick for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 1,636 pupils and room for 1,650. About 47 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 41 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Holly Lane, Smethwick, B67 7JG0121 558 0691holly-lodge.orgMr Imran Iqbal headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 3 March 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
277 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Sandwell | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 277 | 288 | 275 | 274 | 259 | 266 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 42.1 | 39.9 | 41.2 | 42.8 | 37.2 | 37.9 | 42.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.10 | +0.19 | -0.14 | -0.43 | -0.14 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 35% | 27% | 32% | 31% | 21% | 20% | 35% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 54% | 52% | 51% | 58% | 39% | 42% | 57% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.60 | 3.25 | 3.33 | 3.32 | 2.96 | 3.11 | 3.68 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 12% | 8% | 8% | 3% | 9% | 11% | 30% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 38.4 | 36.7 | 38.1 | 39.7 | 33.1 | 36.1 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 44.6 | 41.9 | 43.4 | 44.8 | 39.5 | 39.4 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 31.4 | 30.4 | 30.9 | 25.2 | 24.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 57.4 | 67.0 | 61.9 | 53.0 | 53.0 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 15 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (23% here, 58% across England), Design & Technology (23% here, 50% across England), Computer Science (35% here, 56% across England), Geography (35% here, 51% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Science | 276 | 13% | 37% | 54% | 36% | 1,350 of 3,084 |
| Mathematics | 275 | 11% | 43% | 62% | 53% | 2,253 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 275 | 14% | 44% | 64% | 54% | 2,302 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 269 | 12% | 44% | 62% | 58% | 2,453 of 3,202 |
| Geography | 140 | 14% | 35% | 41% | 51% | 2,395 of 3,116 |
| History | 128 | 6% | 45% | 58% | 52% | 1,911 of 3,126 |
| Social Studies | 65 | 12% | 49% | 66% | 54% | 624 of 1,043 |
| Business | 53 | 8% | 36% | 55% | 51% | 1,310 of 1,806 |
| Computer Science | 46 | 13% | 35% | 52% | 56% | 1,472 of 1,861 |
| Religious Studies | 46 | 17% | 70% | 80% | 60% | 652 of 1,825 |
| Art and Design | 22 | 5% | 23% | 46% | 58% | 2,658 of 2,818 |
| Design & Technology | 22 | 9% | 23% | 59% | 50% | 1,285 of 1,478 |
| Other Modern Languages | 21 | 71% | 100% | 100% | 49% | 4 of 454 |
| French | 10 | 50% | 90% | 90% | 60% | – |
| Drama | 10 | 10% | 20% | 30% | 60% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
97 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 97 | 96 | 74 | 76 | 134 | 130 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 32.82 | 32.55 | 31.23 | 36.22 | 30.69 | 27.20 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | C | B- | C | C- |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 41.23 | 36.33 | 32.11 | 34.57 | 31.41 | 27.94 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 11% | 0% | 11% | 15% | 8% | 0% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.25 | +0.48 | – | – | +0.15 | -0.09 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 32.87 | 33.79 | 33.07 | 33.64 | – | – |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 95% | 95% | 100% | 94% | 92% | 98% |
A level subjects
10 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Strongest A levels
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
The school is full, with 54 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 6% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (62), Moderate learning difficulty (41), language and communications needs (35), Other difficulty or disability (28), Specific learning difficulty (17), Hearing impairment (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,636 | 1,643 | 1,618 | 1,575 | 1,544 | 1,536 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 44% | 41% | 38% | 33% | 31% | 29% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 49% | 50% | 52% | 55% | 54% | 55% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 10% | 12% | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.4% | 9.6% | 9.2% | 8.0% | 4.1% | 5.5% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.4% | 4.7% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 2.4% | 3.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.0% | 4.9% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 1.8% | 2.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 24.3% | 33.0% | 32.8% | 26.7% | 9.5% | 14.1% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 8.9 | 9.8 | 16.6 | 9.2 | 4.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 9 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 275 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 87%, compared with 95% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 92% | 92% | 94% | 93% |
| Education | 89% | 89% | 91% | 89% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| Work | 1% | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Not in education, work or training | 4% | 7% | 3% | 4% |
After sixth form
Where the 70 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 76%, compared with 88% for everyone else.
Where the ones heading for university went
Among students from low-income families, 88% went on to degree-level study or training and 38% to a top-third university.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 84% | 92% | 87% | – |
| Education | 79% | 83% | 77% | – |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 0% | 1% | 0% |
| Work | 4% | 8% | 9% | – |
| Not in education, work or training | 9% | 6% | 10% | – |
Staff
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristnall Hall Academy | Academy | 1.0 miles | 1,088 | Outstanding 2023 | 83 | Compare |
| West Bromwich Collegiate Academy | Free school | 1.0 miles | 774 | Good 2024 | 38 | Compare |
| Q3 Academy Langley | Academy | 1.1 miles | 1,490 | Not inspected | 85 | Compare |
| Sandwell Academy | Academy | 1.1 miles | 1,463 | Good 2024 | 54 | Compare |
| Shireland Collegiate Academy | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,585 | No overall grade 2024 | 72 | Compare |
| Oldbury Academy | Academy | 1.5 miles | 1,193 | Good 2021 | 31 | Compare |
| Shireland Biomedical Utc | University technical college | 1.7 miles | 520 | Requires improvement 2023 | 16 | Compare |
| Shireland CBSO Academy | Free school | 1.7 miles | 457 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Holly Lodge High School College of Science with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Holly Lodge High School College of Science, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shireland Collegiate Academy | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,585 | No overall grade 2024 | 72 | Compare |
| Starbank School | Academy | 6.7 miles | 2,161 | Good 2023 | 74 | Compare |
| The Royal School, Wolverhampton | Free school | 8.1 miles | 1,488 | Not inspected | 51 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 41 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 41% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 32 to 50. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.15 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 277 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 16% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 4.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.03 | DfE progress measure; 277 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | +0.02 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.03 | 2024/25; 1,485 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.04 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 277 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | +0.00 | 275 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Holly Lodge High School College of Science a good school?
It is about average. Holly Lodge High School College of Science scores 41 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 32 to 50, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Holly Lodge High School College of Science's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Holly Lodge High School College of Science good at its last full inspection on 3 March 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Holly Lodge High School College of Science's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 35% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 42.1, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Holly Lodge High School College of Science have?
1,636 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,650 places, so it is 99% full.
Is Holly Lodge High School College of Science oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 54 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Holly Lodge High School College of Science?
Pupils were in school 92.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 24% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Holly Lodge High School College of Science?
The average class had 21.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 1% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Holly Lodge High School College of Science have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was C+. 10 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Holly Lane, Smethwick, B67 7JG
- Telephone
- 0121 558 0691
- Website
- www.holly-lodge.org
- Headteacher
- Mr Imran Iqbal
- Type of school
- Foundation school (Foundation school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- The Smethwick Health and Wellbeing Education Trust (1 schools)
- Local authority
- Sandwell
- Ward
- St Pauls
- Constituency
- Smethwick
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 104018 · LAESTAB 3334138 · UKPRN 10015760
- Formerly
- West Park College, Holly Lodge High School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Sandwell council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2024, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.