King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy

King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy is a comprehensive school, which educates girls of all abilities from the age of 11 to 19. We are now part of the King Edward VI Academy Trust Birmingham, which we joined on 1 September 2018, and have begun working closely with the three local grammar schools to provide more opportunities for our staff and students.

The academy is very diverse, of which we are very proud, and which reflects our local community in Handsworth. Our ethos is based on high achievement and mutual respect for each other. Students are supported to develop respect for themselves as individuals, for others and for the studies and activities in which they are engaged. Our motto of “Aspiring for Excellence” embraces the idea that all our students can achieve success in all that they do during their time here and we make every effort to ensure that each student achieves good grades in relevant qualifications. We are very proud of our excellent reputation in the local community, and pride ourselves on the quality of education we provide to our students.

Our GCSE, BTEC and A Level results have shown continual improvement over the years and our last Ofsted inspection in May 2014 judged us as “Outstanding” in all categories and overall. The GCSE results in August 2018 revealed many outstanding achievements for our students, putting the academy well above average in comparison to other schools nationally on progress. The A Level results were also very good this year enabling 35 students to gain a place at university to study a wide variety of courses with others gaining employment or going on to college.  Our students have worked very hard and we are extremely proud of their successes.  They are fantastic young women who have a very bright future ahead.  I know that they appreciate all the help that their amazing teachers and supportive families have given them.  

In years 7 – 10, we have a PAN of 160 students with 150 in year 11 which will rise to 160 in September 2020. Our admissions policy for years 7 – 11 is non-selective and follows the agreed policy of Birmingham City Council. It is anticipated that the Sixth Form will grow to around 180 students by September 2019 from the current 160. Admission to the Sixth Form is based on specific entry requirements for the range of courses we offer: A Levels, L3 BTECs and a L2 pathway, which includes retake English and maths. Our curriculum offer is broad and will be further enhanced next year as we have agreed a common option block offering minority A Level subjects with the other three schools from the trust in this area: King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls, King Edward VI Aston School and King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys.

We believe in learning in its broadest sense and that it is key to a rich and fulfilling life. We encourage every girl to achieve her potential as a well-rounded young person and give all the care and support each individual needs to be able to do that. All girls enthusiastically contribute to school life and take up opportunities to discover and develop new talents. 

We are not complacent at Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy. Gaining an Outstanding judgement in our latest Ofsted inspection gives much cause for celebration, but improvement is always possible and we seek to be exceptional in our practice. We have one clear aim in mind, to “Aspire for Excellence” so that every student achieves success in her education and in her examinations, thus preparing herself for a happy adult life with choice about her future.