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Secondary school offers in Sandwell: offer day 2027

National Offer Day Monday 1 March 2027 · 22 secondary schools · first-choice odds, waiting lists and appeals

How likely is a first choice here?

For September 2026 entry, 80.8% of families living in Sandwell were offered their first-choice secondary school, against 83.6% across England. 185 families (4.2%) were offered none of the schools they named. Sandwell ranks 57 of 150 councils in England, hardest first (see every council).

7 of its 22 secondary schools had more first-choice applications than places.

The most sought-after, by first-choice applications per place offered: Sandwell Academy (1.6 per place), St Michael's Church of England High School (1.4 per place), Shireland Collegiate Academy (1.4 per place), West Bromwich Collegiate Academy (1.4 per place), Bristnall Hall Academy (1.3 per place).

If you didn't get your first choice

  1. Accept the place you were offered by the date in your offer letter. Accepting it does not affect a waiting list or an appeal, and a place that isn't accepted can be withdrawn.
  2. Get on the waiting lists you want. Every school must keep one until at least 31 December of the year your child starts. It is ranked by the school's admission rules, not by when you joined, so a family moving closer can go above you. Some councils add you automatically for schools you ranked higher than the one offered; your offer letter says which.
  3. Decide whether to appeal. You can appeal for every school that refused your child. You get at least 20 school days from the offer to lodge it, and on-time appeals must be heard within 40 school days of that deadline. The figures below show how often appeals succeed here.
  4. Look at schools that took lower preferences. These are the likeliest to have room now.

Schools that took children who ranked them lower

For September 2026 entry these 15 schools offered more places than they had first-choice applications, so some went to families who put them second or lower. They are the likeliest to have room after offer day; ask Sandwell or the school.

Every secondary school: demand for 2026 entry

Sorted by first-choice applications per place, the most contested first.

SchoolPlaces offeredFirst choices per place First choices offered
Sandwell Academy
West Bromwich
197 1.6 46%
St Michael's Church of England High School
Rowley Regis
234 1.4 68%
Shireland Collegiate Academy
Smethwick
244 1.4 69%
West Bromwich Collegiate Academy
West Bromwich
151 1.4 62%
Bristnall Hall Academy
Oldbury
188 1.3 69%
Q3 Academy Langley
Oldbury
292 1.2 76%
Wood Green Academy
Wednesbury
256 1.0 89%
Wodensborough Ormiston Academy
Wednesbury
210 1.0 100%
Q3 Academy Great Barr
Birmingham
199 0.9 88%
Q3 Academy Tipton
Tipton
294 0.9 100%
Gospel Oak School
Tipton
160 0.9 100%
Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy
Oldbury
227 0.8 100%
Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School
Wednesbury
110 0.8 100%
Ormiston Forge Academy
Cradley Heath
265 0.8 100%
Shireland CBSO Academy
West Bromwich
140 0.8 93%
The Phoenix Collegiate
West Bromwich
188 0.8 100%
Windsor Olympus Academy
Birmingham
179 0.7 100%
George Salter Academy
West Bromwich
218 0.7 100%
Shireland Biomedical Utc
West Bromwich
103 0.7 100%
Holly Lodge High School College of Science
Smethwick
241 0.6 100%
Perryfields Academy
Oldbury
101 0.6 100%
Oldbury Academy
Oldbury
169 0.5 100%

Places offered is the number of offers made on national offer day, and first choices offered the share of families who put the school first and got it (Department for Education, September 2026 entry).

Appeals in Sandwell

YearAppeals lodgedHeard by a panel UpheldShare of heard appeals upheld
2025/26349 278 34 12.2%
2024/25411 354 32 9.0%
2023/24572 460 32 7.0%

Secondary school appeals across all of Sandwell, from the Department for Education. Appeals are not published school by school. Across England in 2025/26, 19.5% of 27,084 secondary appeals heard were upheld. How appeal odds differ between councils.

More for Sandwell

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