West Bromwich Collegiate Academy

About West Bromwich Collegiate Academy

West Bromwich Collegiate Academy earned a Good rating from Ofsted in its most recent inspection in February 2024, with the school's leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, and personal development all judged Outstanding. The single most informative exam metric is its Progress 8 score of -0.05, which places pupils' academic progress almost exactly in line with the national average. This is a solid result for a school where over a third of pupils (35.9%) are eligible for free school meals, and it comfortably outperforms the Sandwell local authority average Progress 8 score of -0.14. The school ranks 7th out of 19 secondary schools in Sandwell on this measure, putting it in the top half of the borough. In the West Midlands region, it sits 164th out of 371 schools, and nationally it ranks 1,654th out of 3,141, placing it in the 53rd percentile — a respectable middle-ground position.

Looking deeper at the breakdown, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 43, meaning the average grade across eight subjects was roughly a high 4 or low 5. The basics measure — the proportion achieving a grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSEs — stands at 33.1%, while 53% achieved a grade 4 or above. English is a particular strength: the Progress 8 score for English is +0.5, meaning pupils make half a grade more progress than the national average. Maths tells a different story, with a Progress 8 score of -0.54, suggesting this is an area the school will be working on. The EBacc entry rate is high at 80.7%, though only 28.3% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above across the full EBacc suite, and 13.3% achieved a grade 5 or above. The school's EBacc average point score is 4.02.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 147 places in 2025/26, it received 571 total applications, an oversubscription ratio of 3.88, with 195 first-preference applications for 120 first-preference offers. Facilities are strong for a state secondary, including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a sports hall, and a gymnasium. Sports on offer include hockey, football, dance, badminton, athletics, and basketball, while clubs range from Model UN and choir to science club and eco club. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. It is an 11-16 school with no sixth form, so families will need to plan for post-16 options elsewhere. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-led, orderly environment with strong personal development and English outcomes, but who are aware that maths results need attention.

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