Photo: A J Paxton · CC BY-SA 2.0West Bromwich’s state schools get lower results than 73% of towns in England
A strong pass in English and maths, grade 5 or better, went to 37% of West Bromwich’s pupils, below both West Midlands’ towns (42%) and towns in England (45%). West Bromwich grades C for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #24 of 35 in West Midlands. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
What stands out about West Bromwich’s schools
Popular schools are full
11 of 33 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as their official capacity, including George Salter, Q3 Academy Great Barr and West Bromwich Collegiate among the secondaries. A full school gives places by its admissions rules, usually by distance after siblings. Getting a place ↓
St John Bosco beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, 30% of pupils are on free school meals and 84% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 60%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
West Bromwich grades C for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
The primary figure: 27 primaries in the town, 4,582 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 4 secondaries in the town, 932 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Where West Bromwich’s 37 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is West Bromwich’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 5 secondaries are named.
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 13% at Grove Vale Primary School to 54% at Tameside Primary Academy. Against schools with the same intake, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School does best: 84% with 30% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 60%. 11 of 27 primaries and 1 of 4 secondaries are above the line.
Show as a table
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
How school places work in West Bromwich
Sandwell Council handles applications for every state school in West Bromwich, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 7 of West Bromwich’s 33 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 11 schools are at or over it.
Show all 33 schools
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
37 state schools in West Bromwich
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 5 of West Bromwich’s 37 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance | Early years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferndale Primary SchoolJune 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Expected standard | Expected standard |
| Moorlands Primary SchoolJune 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Strong standard | Expected standard | Expected standard |
| Pennyhill Primary SchoolJune 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Expected standard | Strong standard |
| Yew Tree Primary SchoolJanuary 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard |
| The Priory Primary SchoolJanuary 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Expected standard |
10 academy trusts and the council
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shireland Collegiate Academy TrustWest Bromwich Collegiate, Shireland Biomedical Utc, Shireland CBSO, Tameside | 4 | 2,139 | BA− |
| Forge Brook TrustDelves Junior, Delves Infant | 2 | 700 | C |
| Wednesday Learning Community TrustHarvills Hawthorn, Moorlands | 2 | 658 | CC |
| St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy TrustSt John Bosco, Holy Name | 2 | 435 | A+C+ |
| Ormiston Academies TrustGeorge Salter | 1 | 1,377 | C− |
| Mercian TrustQ3 Academy Great Barr | 1 | 1,153 | B− |
| Manor Multi Academy TrustHateley Heath | 1 | 418 | D |
| Stour Vale Academy TrustNewtown | 1 | 203 | D |
| Victoria Academies TrustElm Tree | 1 | 125 | — |
| Forward Education TrustHigh Point | 1 | 115 | — |
| Sandwell CouncilThe Phoenix Collegiate, Pennyhill, Yew Tree, Ferndale, Hargate, Hall Green, The Priory, All Saints, Holy Trinity, Lyng, Hanbury, Ryders Green, Eaton Valley, Hamstead, Grove Vale, Lodge, King George V, St Mary Magdalene, St Margaret's, Whitecrest, Sandwell Community | 21 | 9,957 | DCC−C−B−C+C+C+CB−C−A−C+B−ABC−DB−A− |
Where West Bromwich’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
4 of West Bromwich’s 5 state secondaries have sixth forms: George Salter, Q3 Academy Great Barr, Shireland CBSO and The Phoenix Collegiate. Sandwell College, a further-education college, is in the city.
| College | Distance |
|---|---|
| Sandwell CollegeFurther-education college · B70 6AW | in West Bromwich |
| Walsall CollegeFurther-education college · WS2 8ES | 3.7 mi |
| Dudley College of TechnologyFurther-education college · DY1 4AS | 4.4 mi |
| City of Wolverhampton CollegeFurther-education college · WV14 6BT | 5.2 mi |
Special schools and alternative provision in West Bromwich
West Bromwich has 2 special schools (Elm Tree and High Point: 240 pupils) and 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Sandwell Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Sandwell Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
54th of 69 English towns and cities of 72,000 to 139,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of West Bromwich, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Albans Hertfordshire | A+ | 75% | 55.8 | 62% |
| … | |||||
| 50 | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire | C | 57% | 45.1 | 41% |
| 51 | Gillingham Kent | C | 59% | 44.9 | 37% |
| 52 | Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire | C | 58% | 43.4 | 42% |
| 53 | Bedford Bedfordshire | C | 57% | 44.3 | 41% |
| 54 | West Bromwich West Midlands | C | 60% | 42.1 | 37% |
| 55 | Doncaster South Yorkshire | C | 55% | 43.9 | 44% |
| 56 | Birkenhead Merseyside | C | 50% | 46.7 | 44% |
| 57 | Rochdale Greater Manchester | C | 59% | 42.3 | 37% |
| 58 | Basildon Essex | C− | 61% | 38 | 31% |
| … | |||||
| 69 | Redditch Worcestershire | D | 53% | 38.8 | 24% |
West Bromwich and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Bromwich 37 schools | C | 60% | 42.1 |
| Wednesbury 11 schools · 1.9 mi | C− | 55% | 42.4 |
| Walsall 28 schools · 3 mi | B | 60% | 51.6 |
| Tipton 16 schools · 3 mi | C− | 60% | 36.3 |
| Darlaston 8 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3 mi | C | 60% | 41.6 |
| Smethwick 19 schools · 3.3 mi | C | 61% | 42 |
| Pheasey 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.5 mi | B− | 65% | 44 |
| Rowley Regis 14 schools · 3.6 mi | C+ | 61% | 46.1 |
Walsall has the best-graded schools nearby (B). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In West Bromwich: 7% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in West Bromwich
Are schools in West Bromwich good?
West Bromwich’s state schools earn a C against schools across England: primary results beat 40% of towns in England; secondary results beat 22% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Sandwell council.
What is the best secondary school in West Bromwich?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, West Bromwich Collegiate Academy: Attainment 8 of 48.4 and 46% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in West Bromwich?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School: 84% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do West Bromwich secondary schools have sixth forms?
4 of 5 do.
How do I apply for a school place in West Bromwich?
Through Sandwell Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in West Bromwich are full?
11 of 33 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in West Bromwich?
37 open state-funded schools are located in West Bromwich’s built-up area: 28 primary, 5 secondary and 4 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.