Education
Performance
Click here to see the school and college performance tables for Birmingham schools.
School admissions
From September 2016 you can apply online for a school place in Year 7 at a Secondary School and Year 10 at a 14-19 Academy. You can also apply online for a Reception Class place and a Year 3 place at a Junior School. You need to register online to so this.
Applying for a school place online:
means you will receive an email confirming your child’s offer by 3.30 pm on the offer date, one day ahead of postal notification;
is quick, easy and secure;
is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week until the final closing date; and
means you will receive an immediate confirmation by email that the application has been received.
The following information describes how the school admissions processes work in Birmingham, and what steps parents / carers need to take to arrange a school place for their child.
You can view the co-ordinated admission arrangements for all Birmingham primary and secondary schools from this website.
Find school inspection reports on the Ofsted website.
You have the right to appeal against a decision if your child has been refused a school place.
In year school admissions
The normal intake for school admissions relates to children moving from Primary to Secondary School, starting Reception Class or moving to Year 3 at a Junior School.
If you wish to apply for a school place after the normal intake in September, or for a place in any other year group, then you must apply using our ‘Application for a Change of School In Year’ Form.
Parents / carers can apply for any School or Academy in Birmingham.
In-Year admissions arise as a result of:
Parents / carers moving into Birmingham and do not have a school place for their child;
Parents / carers moving within Birmingham and their child already have a school place, but can no longer attend;
Parents / carers who live in Birmingham and are not moving, but would like their child to change school.
Your application will give you the opportunity:
To express your preferred school in Birmingham.
Give reasons for your application.
Your application will result in one of following:
If the school you request has available places, your child will be offered a place at that school.
If the school you request has more applications than there are places available the governing body or the local authority uses the school’s admission criteria to decide who qualifies best for a place.
If the school you request is already over subscribed your child is placed on a waiting list and offered a place at the nearest available school which has a vacancy. You are also be informed of your right to appeal.
Pupil's home address
A pupil’s home address is considered to be a residential property that is the child’s only or main residence, and is either:
owned by the child’s parent(s) or the person with parental responsibility for the child; or
leased to or rented by the child’s parent(s) or the person with parental responsibility under a lease or written rental agreement of not less than twelve months duration
Evidence of ownership or rental agreement may be required, plus proof of permanent residence at the property concerned.
Where parents have shared responsibility for a child, and the child lives with both parents for part of the week then the main residence will be determined as the address where the child lives the majority of the week. Parents may be requested to supply documentary evidence to support the address used when offering places.
Distances
We measure from the address point of your home to the centre of the school (unless otherwise stated) using a computerised mapping system called Cartology.
Distances are in metres and are calculated on the basis of a straight line measurement. We consider this to be the fairest way to treat all applicants. It does not take into account walking, cycling, or driving routes.
Websites which provide a distance measuring facility do not measure home to school distances as defined by us and therefore will produce different measurements.
If you move house after you have submitted your preference form you should contact School Admissions and Pupil Placements who will advise if the change in circumstances can be considered. (See contact detail in the essential information section)
School appeals enquiry
This section gives you information about how to appeal against a decision to refuse your child a school place. There are different types of appeal, for further information please refer to the booklet “A Parents Guide to the Appeal Process”.
At the time of the Secondary School offer of places in March 2015 and the offer of Reception Class places in April 2015, most Birmingham parents / carers who applied on time were offered one of their preferred schools:
93.4% of Birmingham applicants for transfer to Year 7 were offered one of their preferences
94.8% of Birmingham applicants for Reception Class were offered one of their preferences
However, there are a small number of cases each year where the school cannot offer a place. If this happens to you, the School Admissions and Pupil Placements Service can give you information on other schools that may have places available. (See contact detail in the essential information section)
If you feel you would like to pursue the matter further, you can have your case heard by an Appeal Panel that is independent of the Local Authority or, in the case of foundation or voluntary aided schools and academies, by an Appeal Panel that is independent of the school’s admission authority.
You should not wait for the outcome of an appeal about one school before deciding to appeal about another as appeals can be made for more than one school at the same time.
Parents who have appealed unsuccessfully for a particular school cannot appeal again for a place at the same school, in the same academic year, unless there have been significant and material changes in their circumstances.
For more detailed information relating to education in Birmingham, please visit the Birmingham Council website.