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 2024 is 31st October 2023.
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.
Admissions Policies
Visit our Academy Policies page to view our Admissions Policy 2023-24.
Applications for the Academy are currently closed for September 2023. Applicants for September 2024 will be invited to take the Sandwell Authority Fair Banding Test in November and December 2023 and places will be allocated in March 2024.
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 2023.
If you would like to apply for a place for a Year 7 student from January 2024 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 2023 and tours
Our Open Evening took place on Thursday 14th September 2023, from 4:30 – 8pm. It was a an extremely busy evening with hundreds of families joining us to learn about the fantastic opportunities that we can offer our young people.
We also offered a number of Open Morning tours prior to the application deadline, where families were given a tour of the Academy and visited lessons and observed students in their learning. We had many wonderful comments made about how well our students behave, they can articulate their learning and are so welcoming to visitors.
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
On 1st March 2024 you will receive 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 receive a letter in the first few days of March 2024. You must accept or reject the school your child has been allocated. Following this, the Authority will provide 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 one or two Transition Days in July 2024 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.
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.
