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Admissions

Admissions

Admissions

West Bromwich Collegiate Academy is a non-selective, non-denominational Academy for the community and our admissions policy reflects this. Each year we have 150 places available.

The deadline for applications for September 2025 was 31 October 2024.
Applications for September 2025 are now closed.

 

Our inclusive admissions process will at all times be open, transparent and fair, and will meet the requirements of the national Schools Admissions Code, the Appeals Code and admissions legislation. West Bromwich Collegiate Academy will process applications inside the normal Local Authority process for co-ordinating school offers. We will be able to accept applications for places through the normal Sandwell admissions process.

Applying for Secondary School Places - September 2026

Is your child due to start secondary school in September 2026? Below is all the key information to help you navigate the application process for secondary school places.

Key Dates

  • Application Deadline: 31 October 2025
  • Fair Banding Tests: During late November/early December 2025
  • Offer Day: 2 March 2026 – you will receive the outcome of your application and be informed of your child’s allocated school place.


How to Apply

  1. Online Application: All applications for secondary school places must be submitted via your local council’s online admissions portal.
  2. Required Information: When applying, you’ll need the following details:
    • Your child’s full name, date of birth, and home address
    • Your own contact details
    • Your top preferences for schools – you can list several schools, make sure you put your preferred school as your first preference.


Tips for Parents

  • Submit your application on time – Late applications are less likely to be allocated your preferred school.
  • Visit schools – if you’d like to arrange to visit us, please get in touch with our school office – 0121 393 4850 or info@wbca.shirelandcat.net


Applying from Out of Area

If you live outside Sandwell but wish to apply for our school, you must still apply through your own local council, listing our school in your preference list.


Contact Us

If you need further guidance or support with the application process, please contact your local council’s school admissions team or reach out to the schools you’re interested in directly.

We look forward to supporting your family as you prepare for this exciting transition to secondary school in 2026!

Admissions Policies

Visit our Academy Policies page to view our Admissions Policies.

Applications for the Academy are currently closed for September 2025. Applicants for September 2026 will be invited to take the Sandwell Authority Fair Banding Test in November and December 2025 and places will be allocated in March 2026.

Mid-Year Transfers

Our waiting list for Year 7 students is managed by Sandwell LEA until Christmas.

Please contact Sandwell Admissions to enquire about Year 7 places up until 31 December 2024.

If you would like to apply for a place for a Year 7 student from January 2025 onwards or for a Year 8, Year 9, Year 10 or Year 11 student at any time, please complete this online form to be added to our waiting list.

Open Evening 2024 and tours

Our Open Evening took place on Thursday 12 September 2024, from 4:30-8pm.

We have also offered open mornings by appointment only. Please contact the school to book a place.

If you are interested in applying to the Academy for your child in the future and they have an EHCP please contact SENCO@wbca.shirelandcat.net for further information.

Fair Banding Admissions Test

All students who apply for a Year 7 place starting in September will receive an invitation to sit a Fair Banding Admissions Test at the Academy.

It is very important that your child attends this test if they wish to attend West Bromwich Collegiate Academy. Due to the large number of applications we have had for places in Year 7, failure to sit the examination will mean that your child will only be considered for a place after all students who have taken the test have been allocated. As this includes applicants with siblings at the Academy, practically, this means they are extremely unlikely to be given a place.

Please emphasise to your child that there is no ‘pass’ or ‘fail’. The results of the assessment will be used to place your child in one of five ability bands and places will be offered to the same number of children from each band. This will be done by Sandwell Local Authority, not by the Academy.

Accepting your place and before you arrive - Sept 2025 entry

On 3rd March 2025 you should have received an e-mail from the Local Authority which will tell you which school you have been allocated. If you applied using a paper application form, you will have received a letter in the first few days of March 2025. 

You must accept or reject the school your child has been allocated. Following this, the Authority provides us with a list of students who have been allocated a place and we will write to you with a welcome pack. If you wish to appeal the decision you can do this through the Sandwell Admissions website.

We will hold two Transition Days in July 2025 for Year 6 children to come to the Academy to meet their new Literacy for Life Teacher and to take part in some taster lessons. Following this, we will hold a Summer School at the start of the summer holidays, for further induction, so that students begin with us in September having met most of their teachers, being familiar with the building and our expectations, and having made some new friends. 

Year 6 Transition Days 2025

The Year 6 Transition Days this year will take place on: Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd July 2025.

We will be hosting an additional Transition Day for selected SEND students, to support them further with the move to secondary school – this will be by invitation only and will be on Tuesday 1st July 2025.

Still looking for more information?

If you would like further information about the Academy you can find it throughout the website, contact us or access an online copy of our prospectus here: WBCA Prospectus

If you would like the detail of our Admissions Policy you can access it here

Frequently Asked Questions

You need to complete the online admissions form. There are no further forms to complete.

Like many schools in Sandwell we operate a Fair Banding Test to make sure we have an equal number of students of all abilities in the Academy. Doing well or badly in the test does not increase your chance of gaining a place at the Academy but will place you into one of 5 bands. We then take an equal number of students from each band. There was no test in 2018-19 as the Academy was not open. All children who applied for a September 2020 place took the fair banding test and all children who apply to join from now must sit the test.

It is a non-verbal reasoning test which involves activities such as shape matching and pattern recognition. Children cannot revise or prepare for the test and the scores will not be shared with children or families. Staff at West Bromwich Collegiate Academy do not find out the results to the tests. A good or poor performance in the test will not improve your child’s chance of gaining a place at West Bromwich Collegiate Academy.

Yes, but they must still sit the Fair Banding Test.

Students are accepted in the following order:

  • Students in Care
  • Students with an EHCP
  • Siblings
  • Distance from the Academy

Places are allocated to you via Sandwell on National Offer Day, which is usually early in March.

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West Bromwich Collegiate Academy
Kelvin Way
West Bromwich
B70 7LE

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Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust a charitable Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales Company No. 6336693.

Registered Office: Waterloo Road, Smethwick, B66 4ND

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