Apply for a secondary school place

Overview

Children born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013 are due to transfer to a secondary school (year 7) in September 2024.

The closing date for applications is 31 October 2023. If you apply late, you may not get a place at one of your preferred schools.

If you live outside Walsall, you should complete an application from your home local authority (even if you are applying for a Walsall school).

Before you apply

You should:

• explore school websites, read school admissions policies and entry criteria. This will help you understand how schools make their admissions decisions
• try to attend school open evenings. Speak to staff, and ask about the admissions criteria they used last year. Some schools may be holding their open evenings virtually. Individual school websites will have the most up-to-date information
• think about how your child will travel to and from school

Deciding on your school preferences

You should include five schools on your application, and list them in order of preference. If you only express a preference for a single school, you risk being offered a place that you are unhappy with. You should also choose schools that your child has a realistic chance of getting in to.

Walsall Council has a duty to offer your child a school place. We always try to meet your first choice, but sometimes we receive more applications than the school has places available. We'll then try to offer your next highest preference.  If we cannot meet any of your preferences, we will offer you a place in the nearest school to your home address with available places. We will also put your child’s name on the waiting list for your preferred schools.

View the waiting list policy.

If your child is already of school age, you can apply direct to your preferred schools during the school year. This is known as a mid-year admission or transfer.

The schemes for co-ordinated admissions document tells you more about:

• when key decisions are made
• evidence for late applications
• what to do if you live near a borough boundary and want to apply for a school in another authority
• which schools are their own admissions authority

Applying for schools outside Walsall

If you live in Walsall but any of your preferred schools are outside Walsall Borough, you can still apply in the same way. Walsall Council runs a co-ordinated admissions scheme with neighbouring councils and admissions authorities, so you only have to complete one application.

Get support with making your application

Our step-by-step admissions guide will take you through the whole admissions process. It explains how to create an account, how to log in, and how to submit your application.

The guide is only available in English. If you need extra support, you can contact the admissions and appeals team.

You can also download our information booklet.

Supplementary application forms

Some schools need you to complete their own forms as well as the online application. You can get copies of the forms direct from each school, or download and print them yourself. When you've completed them, send them direct to the relevant school.

The following school websites have further information about their September 2024 intake, and supplementary forms:

• Joseph Leckie Academy
• Queen Mary's Grammar School (boys)
• Queen Mary's High School (girls)
• Walsall Academy

When you'll receive your offer

You will receive your offer by email on 1 March 2024. The emails are sent automatically over the course of the day.

If you are not happy with your offer, you can appeal against the decision.

Offer day FAQs

You can download our frequently asked questions document for some further information that you might find helpful.