Classpot
Shireland Biomedical Utc

Shireland Biomedical Utc

Sandwell, B70 8DJSecondary School·Ages 11-19
R. Improvementby Ofsted

70%

Capacity

419

Pupils

1.7x

Demand

About Shireland Biomedical Utc

Shireland Biomedical Utc is a mixed secondary school in Sandwell with a clear specialist focus, currently operating well below its capacity. With 419 pupils against a capacity of 600, the school has room to grow, and the demand data suggests it is a popular choice among local families. For the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school received 180 applications for 104 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.73, with 55 first-preference offers made. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 46.5%, which is significantly above the national average and reflects the school’s intake from a relatively disadvantaged catchment. The school’s religious character is listed as None, and it caters for both boys and girls across the full secondary age range from 11 to 19, with its own official sixth form.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023 rated its overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a grade it has held since its previous inspection in 2020. However, there were notable bright spots: behaviour and attitudes, as well as sixth-form provision, were both rated Good. The sixth form is small, with just 11 pupils in the 2023/24 cohort, and their average A-level grade was a D+, with a points-per-entry score of 23.67. The value-added score for the sixth form was -0.36, which falls within the average banding, though the lower confidence interval of -0.78 suggests results could be weaker. For context, the local authority average Progress 8 score for secondary schools is -0.14, so the school’s overall academic performance is below the Sandwell norm, but the sixth-form provision is a relative strength.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, art studios, a sixth-form centre, tennis courts, and playing fields, with sports on offer from hockey and cricket to martial arts and swimming. There is a strong extracurricular programme with clubs covering debate, coding, Model UN, and Young Enterprise. The school’s SEND provisions are extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, visual impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This makes it a potentially good fit for families whose children require additional support in a specialist setting. The nearest outstanding-rated school in the local authority is Bristnall Hall Academy, 4.1 km away, so for families prioritising a specialist biomedical curriculum with strong SEND support, Shireland Biomedical Utc offers a distinctive option within Sandwell.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 19 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterNone
Address350 High Street, West Bromwich, Sandwell, B70 8DJ
HeadteacherGulfam Shahzad
Local AuthoritySandwell
Number of Pupils419
Free School Meals (FSM)46.5%
School Capacity419 / 600 (70% full)
Sixth FormYes

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

28 Nov 2023
View Report

Overall Effectiveness

Requires improvement

Unchanged
Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Requires improvement
Leadership & Management
Requires improvement

Additional Provisions

Sixth Form Provision
Good

Source: Ofsted, 25 Jan 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

GCSE Results

Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.

A-Level Results

2023/24
11 students

Average Points per Entry

23.7Grade D+

Value Added Score

-0.36Well Below Average
BelowAverageAbove

Best 3 A-Levels (Average)

21.4Grade D
AAB or higher (inc. 2 facilitating)0%
Avg Points per Entry over timeDeclining -3.8

'21/22

31.5

'22/23

23.3

'23/24

23.7

Source: Department for Education 16-18 Performance Tables, 2023/24. Value Added measures progress compared to students with similar GCSE results.

Where GCSE leavers go

2022/23

32%

of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 31 pupils).

  • FE college42%
  • School sixth form (stay)32%
  • Not sustained13%
  • Employment6%
  • Sixth form college3%

84% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.

Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.

Where school leavers go

2022/23

72%

of A-level / Level 3 leavers go to higher education (cohort: 39 pupils).

Top-tier university progression

12%

Russell Group

18%

Top-third HE

Percentages of the whole cohort (not just HE-goers). Russell Group = 24 elite research universities. Top-third HE = top by mean UCAS tariff.

  • University (HE)72%
  • Employment15%
  • Not sustained10%
  • Further education3%

Sources: DfE 16-18 destination measures (broad bucket); DfE KS5 student destinations file (Russell Group / top-third HE / Oxbridge). Level 3 cohort. “Sustained” means the pupil was in education, apprenticeship or employment for 6 months in the year following completion.

Sixth form A-level subjects

2022/23
3 subjects
2 STEM0 creative / arts10 total entries
  • Psychology4
  • Biology3
  • Mathematics3

Subjects with at least 3 entries in 2022/23. Number shown next to each subject is the number of pupils who sat that A-level exam — a rough indicator of subject popularity at this school. Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageVisionPhysicalLearning DifficultyOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

Facilities

7
Swimming PoolArt StudiosSixth Form CentreICT SuiteDining HallTennis CourtsPlaying Fields

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

19

Sports

HockeyCricketCross CountryTennisAthleticsSwimmingRoundersMartial ArtsBasketball

Clubs & Activities

DebateFilm ClubBook ClubModel United NationsNewspaperYoung EnterpriseGardeningChoirCodingChess

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

Admissions

2025/26Oversubscribed
Places

104

Applications

180

Good Demand

Popular school with more applications than places

Applications to places ratio1.7x
0x1x2x3x5x+

55 families put this school as their 1st choice (31% of all applications)

Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.

Class profile

2024/25
Pupils per teacherTop 25% of schools
16.8pupils per qualified teacher

Better than 75% of schools in England.

Average class sizeBottom 25% of schools
28.7pupils per class

75% of schools in England do better than this.

Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.

Pupils & demographics

2024/25
Free school meals46.5%

Among the highest-disadvantage schools.

English as additional language52.5%

Among the highest 25% — a diverse linguistic intake.

Ethnic background

  • Asian40.1%
  • White British15.8%
  • Mixed10.0%
  • White (other)6.2%
  • Black1.7%

Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.

Attendance & Behaviour

2024/25
Overall attendanceBottom 25% of schools
91.5%

75% of schools in England do better than this.

Persistent absenteesBottom 25% of schools
28.3%

75% of schools in England do better than this.

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

Fixed-period suspensionsBottom 25% of schools
9.5 per 100

75% of schools in England do better than this.

A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.

Permanent exclusionsAbove average
0.32 per 100

Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.

Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.

Catchment & Local Competition

Loading map...
1 mile reference · no real data

No catchment data published for this school

The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.

⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.

Schools within 1 mile (reference area)

1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.

15

Total schools

14

Oversubscribed

10

Primary

High competition area

Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.

Frequently Asked Questions About Shireland Biomedical Utc

Shireland Biomedical Utc has been rated "Requires Improvement" by Ofsted. This means the school is not yet good, but inspectors believe it can improve with the right support and changes.

Contact Information

01218281123sbmutc.org.uk

350 High Street, West Bromwich

Sandwell, B70 8DJ

Loading map...

350 High Street, West Bromwich

Sandwell, B70 8DJ

Journey to School

Enter your postcode to see journey times to this school

Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.

Opening Hours

Monday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

Similar Schools Nearby

Parent Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience at Shireland Biomedical Utc!

Write a Review