Sandwell Academy

Sandwell Academy is performing well overall, with a consistent 'Good' rating across all key areas of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership. The sixth-form provision stands out as 'Outstanding', showcasing exceptional student engagement and achievement. Following a long gap since its last inspection, the school has made significant improvements under new leadership, raising expectations and refining its ambitious curriculum. With a respectful school culture and a focus on personal development, students feel happy and safe, contributing positively to their learning environment.

Strengths

• Strong leadership has raised expectations around learning and behaviour.
• Highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum developed.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Exceptional sixth-form provision with positive student learning experiences.
• Robust systems to support attendance and catch-up for absent pupils.
• Courteous and respectful relationships between pupils and staff.
• Diverse and rich extra-curricular activities available for students.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in teachers checking pupil understanding.
• Some activities do not always match curriculum content well.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Sandwell Academy attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.8% of pupils at Sandwell Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Sandwell Academy had 32.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2021–22, 50.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 16.9%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.0% of pupils at Sandwell Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Sandwell Academy received £7,466 and spent £7,419 for each of its 1,468 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £4,507,000 (£3,070 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Thomas Telford Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,869 and spending £7,488 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in West Bromwich · Sandwell local authority: places and applications

Sandwell Academy is part of Thomas Telford Multi Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Walsall Academy Walsall
• Thomas Telford University Technical College Wolverhampton
• Thomas Telford Primary Free School Telford
• Madeley Academy Telford
• Redhill Primary Academy Telford

What is Sandwell Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sandwell Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Sandwell Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Sandwell Academy was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Sandwell Academy have?

Sandwell Academy has 1,463 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sandwell Academy cover?

Sandwell Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Sandwell Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.0, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Sandwell Academy?

Sandwell Academy is at Halfords Lane, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B71 4LG.