BOA Stage and Screen Production Academy Review 2026: Post-16 training for backstage careers

Behind every live show, broadcast, or film set sits a production team that most audiences never see, yet cannot do without. BOA Stage and Screen Production Academy is built around that reality. Opened on 01 September 2021 as a new 16–19 academy, it focuses on the technical, administrative, and production roles that sit behind performance and content creation.

The setting is Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter area, with a specialist site on Stour Street that became the academy’s new building in April 2022.

Leadership is structured slightly differently from many sixth forms: GIAS lists Mrs Kate Tague as Headteacher or Principal; the academy also identifies a Head of School role for day-to-day leadership.

For families weighing post-16 options, the key question is fit. This is a place for students who want practical, industry-shaped learning, and who are comfortable being assessed through projects, collaboration, and applied problem-solving, not just end-of-course exams.

The academy positions itself as a “talent pipeline” into stage and screen production, and it structures student life around professional behaviours: teamwork, deadlines, feedback cycles, and responsibility in specialist spaces. Pathways are explicitly framed as technical and production disciplines, not performance.

A defining feature is the expectation of professional conduct. The admissions policy describes aptitude workshops designed to assess creativity, communication and collaboration, positivity, and flexibility. That language signals the kind of learning environment students experience day to day: practical tasks, peer interaction, and reflective evaluation, rather than passive classroom delivery.

Safeguarding and pastoral structures are also presented as integrated with the curriculum and placements. The academy sets out a clear approach to preparing students for work placements, including briefing students on safeguarding expectations and monitoring welfare while placements are underway.

For this provider, published performance data is more complex than at a traditional A-level sixth form, because the core offer is built around vocational programmes. The academy describes its main Level 3 pathways as BTEC programmes equivalent to three A-levels, delivered alongside personal and professional development, industry qualifications, work placements, and English and maths for those who need to resit.

Where A-level outcomes are reported the picture is below the England benchmark. Ranked 1,964th in England and 37th in Birmingham for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance sits below England average, roughly in the lower 40% of providers in England on this specific measure.

In the most recent reported A-level grades, 40.91% of entries achieved A*–B, compared with an England average of 47.2%. At the top end, 4.55% of entries achieved A, and 0% achieved A*.

The right way to use these figures is as one input, not a verdict. Families should ask a practical question: which qualification route will your child take here (Level 3 vocational, additional A-level, resits), and how does the academy support outcomes in that specific route?

The curriculum model is designed to mirror industry workflow. The admissions policy explicitly frames learning as knowledge, understanding, and skills developed in a practical context, using real briefs and issues linked to stage and screen.

Study programmes are structured around a minimum of 580 planned hours per year, with explicit expectations that Level 3 students without GCSE grade 4 in English and maths will study those subjects alongside their main programme.

A helpful example of the intended balance comes from the academy’s published study-programme components: a core Level 3 qualification, a personal and professional development programme, industry qualifications, and work placements of 10 to 45 days. The implication is that learning is not confined to classrooms; employability and readiness are treated as curricular outcomes, not optional extras.

The academy presents multiple progression routes, including higher education, apprenticeships, employment, and freelance work as distinct destinations, which aligns well with how the creative industries actually recruit and develop talent.

For the 2023/24 leaver cohort (70 students), 41% progressed to university. A further 6% started apprenticeships, and 30% entered employment.

There is no published Russell Group percentage or Oxbridge pipeline data evident in the official material reviewed, so families should treat progression as mixed and individualised. In practice, the strongest indicator of fit is not the headline destination split; it is whether your child wants a pathway that prioritises applied production work, portfolio-building, and experience-based learning alongside qualification outcomes.

Admission is direct to the academy, not through a local authority sixth-form allocation. The process is intentionally selective by aptitude rather than academic attainment. The admissions policy states that applicants are required to complete aptitude assessments, with places allocated by aptitude score; where candidates tie for the final place, random allocation is used.

For September 2026 entry, the academy describes a main application window opening on 01 October 2025 and closing on 31 January 2026. The admissions policy also specifies a first-phase closing date of 16 January 2026, with the academy aiming to fill places by 31 January 2026, and operating additional cycles if required.

The key implication for families is timing. If a student is serious about this route, it is prudent to apply early enough to secure an aptitude workshop place, because workshops drive offers and timelines.

A further implication is preparation. This is not an academic selection test, but it is still competitive selection. Students should be ready to demonstrate commitment to production disciplines, willingness to collaborate, and capacity to respond to feedback under time constraints.

Pastoral support is framed as whole-staff responsibility, with safeguarding expectations extending into industry placements. The academy also links safeguarding education to curriculum time, tutor time, assemblies, and its personal and professional development programme.

For parents, the practical takeaway is that wellbeing is treated as a professional readiness issue as well as a safeguarding duty. In creative production environments, students need to manage pressure, deadlines, and teamwork, and those habits are easier to build when pastoral systems are visible and normalised.

At a specialist post-16 provider, enrichment often looks different from a traditional “club list”. The main extracurricular engine is the pathway work itself: industry briefs, collaborative projects, and portfolio-building.

The academy’s named pathways give a clear sense of what students can spend substantial time doing:

• Film & TV

• Set, Props & Costume

• Lighting & Sound for Live Performance

• Writing, Directing & Screen Craft

• Hair and Make Up for Theatre, TV & Film

Facilities and specialist spaces matter here because they directly shape what students can practise. The wider BOA group’s facilities listing indicates access to spaces such as a fully equipped TV studio and editing and post-production provision.

Within the Stage and Screen materials, the Film & TV course imagery explicitly references a green screen studio, reinforcing that production skills are taught using industry-standard contexts rather than purely theoretical instruction.

This is a state-funded 16–19 academy, so there are no tuition fees.

Published academy hours are Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4.30pm, and Friday, 9am to 1.30pm.

As a post-16 provider drawing students from across Birmingham and beyond, daily travel planning matters. The academy is located in the Jewellery Quarter area of Birmingham, so families should consider public transport reliability at start and finish times, and whether late finishes may occur around project work, productions, or placement commitments (which are explicitly part of the study programme).

Wraparound care is not typically a feature at 16–19 settings, and no routine before-school or after-school childcare provision is published. Families should treat this as an adult learning environment and plan accordingly.

• This is a specialist route. The curriculum is designed for stage and screen production disciplines. Students who prefer broad academic study with minimal practical assessment may find the emphasis on briefs, projects, and collaboration demanding.

• Admissions depend on aptitude workshops. Places are allocated by aptitude score, not simply first-come-first-served, and late applications can be disadvantaged if workshop capacity is tight.

• A-level outcomes are below England averages where reported. If your child’s plan depends on an A-level-heavy programme, probe carefully on subject availability, teaching model, and support for high grades.

• Time commitment can extend beyond the timetable. Work placements of 10 to 45 days are part of the study programme, and production work can be deadline-driven. Families should be realistic about travel, part-time work, and fatigue management.

BOA Stage and Screen Production Academy is best understood as a professional training environment delivered through a state-funded post-16 model. It is structured around the realities of production work: collaboration, applied problem-solving, and building credible experience alongside qualifications.

Who it suits: students aged 16–19 who are serious about backstage and production roles in film, TV, theatre, or live events, and who will thrive with project-based assessment and industry-facing expectations. The main decision point is not whether it is “academic enough”, but whether your child genuinely wants a production-led route and will commit to the pace and practical demands.

Families comparing pathways should use the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools to line up post-16 outcomes side by side, then shortlist visits around the specific pathway your child wants to study.