Walsall Admissions have helpfully put together a parent guide for the 2026-2027 Year 6 cohort . 

Dear Parent/Carer,

Re: Transfer to Secondary School September 2027

 

If your child was born between 1 September 2015 & 31 August 2016, they are due to transfer to secondary school in September 2027. We would like to inform you that applications for Secondary 2027 admissions will be available on our website from 11 September 2026. This means that you must apply for a secondary school place for your child by 31 October 2026.

To do this, you must submit an on-line application through the Secondary Admissions web page of Walsall Council website: Apply for a secondary school place (walsall.gov.uk). Alternatively, from the front page of the Walsall Council website, follow: Schools and Learning – School Admissions – Apply for a secondary school place.

 

You will also find, on this web page, an Information for Parents booklet which provides detailed information about the school admissions process. We strongly recommend that you read this booklet before making your application.

Please note that the online application portal is open daily until the 31 October 2026.

You should only apply through the Walsall Council website if you are a Walsall resident family. If you pay your Council Tax to a different Local Authority (LA), then you should apply through them. Contact details for other neighboring LAs are available in the online Information for Parents booklet.

You can list up to five schools on your application, in your order of preference. List all the schools that you are interested in, including those that may be located in other local authority areas.

Some schools also require parents to complete an additional Supplementary Information Form (SIF), as well as listing it as a preference on the online application form. Please refer to the online ‘Information for Parents’ booklet to see if you need to complete a Supplementary Information Form for any of your preferred schools. If you are applying for any schools outside of the Walsall Local Authority area you should also check with that school directly to see if a Supplementary Information Form is also required.

All places are offered based on how well a child meets the over-subscription criteria for each school and, regrettably, it is not possible to guarantee that a place will be offered at a particular preferred school. We strongly recommend Walsall parents and carers to list five different preferences in their application, the maximum allowed and include at least one local school you feel confident your child would have met the criteria for in previous years.

Details of each school’s admissions criteria and how places have been allocated in previous years are

included in the on-line Information for Parents booklet.

The deadline for submission of applications is 31 October 2026.

This gives you ample time to consider which schools you intend to list and make your application. There is no priority given to applicants who make their application earlier than others.

It is however extremely important that your application is submitted by the closing deadline of 31 October 2026. Any applications, or changes to your preferred schools, made after this date means that your application will be processed as late and you will not receive your offer until after national secondary offer day of 1 March 2027.

Late applicants will receive their offer after 1 March 2027.

Making a late secondary school application will reduce the chance of your child being offered a place at one of your preferred schools.

All on time applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application on 1 March 2027.

School Profiles - Take part in the trial

As you may know, the Department for Education is testing a new online service called School Profiles, designed to help parents and carers find, compare and understand state secondary schools in England.

About School Profiles

School Profiles brings together key information about schools in one place, making it easier for families to explore their options ahead of submitting secondary school applications.

A new comparison feature has been introduced that allows parents and carers to compare up to 6 secondary schools side by side, helping families make more informed decisions about their child's education.

Take part in the trial

The DfE is inviting parents and carers to explore the service and provide feedback to help improve it before a wider rollout.

If you’d like to take part in the trial, you can:

· visit the School Profiles beta website

· search for and compare secondary schools

· share feedback directly through the service

Your feedback will help shape the future of School Profiles and ensure it meets the needs of parents and carers when making important school choices.

Visit the trial - School Profiles beta website: https://beta.schoolprofiles.education.gov.uk/gateway/welcome/WLL

Please take a look and share your feedback as early as possible, so improvements can be made ahead of the next secondary school admissions cycle.

Any feedback provided through the website is collected directly by the Department for Education.

If you require any advice or support with making your application, then please contact the Admissions and Education Sufficiency Team at schooladmissionsadvice@walsall.gov.uk .

 

Yours faithfully

Mrs Alex Groom

Admissions & Education Sufficiency Service Manager