West Walsall E-ACT Academy Review 2026: A community-focused secondary with a growing sixth form

For families in Birchills and the wider Walsall area, West Walsall E-ACT Academy is a large, mixed 11 to 18 school with a clear emphasis on stability, consistency, and opportunity. The academy sits within the E-ACT trust and is rated Good, with the most recent Ofsted inspection (January 2023) confirming that the school remains Good and that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Leadership is a key part of the current story. Mrs Laura Wilson is listed as the headteacher on official records and is also described in academy communications as Head of School, with her appointment announced in November 2024. For parents, that matters because it signals a period of renewed internal capacity building, rather than constant churn.

The academy’s public-facing narrative centres on inclusion and belonging, with a practical tone rather than glossy marketing. Student leadership opportunities are explicitly framed as part of day-to-day culture, including a student council, safeguarding ambassadors, and a junior leadership team. That combination tends to appeal to families who want teenagers to be visible contributors to school life, not passive recipients of rules.

The most recent inspection evidence aligns with that picture. Relationships are described as warm and respectful, pupils report feeling safe, and behaviour at social times is described as very strong. It is also clear that staff intervene quickly when learning is disrupted, which is often the difference between a school that feels calm and one that feels reactive.

The academy’s community identity is also reinforced through whole-school events that are designed to bring families into the building for shared experiences, including a Grand Iftar and seasonal community celebrations. For many parents, those details are more meaningful than slogans, they show how the school expects families and students to interact.

This is a secondary school with sixth form provision, and performance is best understood in two parts: GCSE outcomes across the main school, then A-level outcomes in the sixth form.

GCSE outcomes (headline indicators)

The academy’s Attainment 8 score is 38.7 and Progress 8 is 0.1 (a positive figure, indicating students make above-average progress from their starting points). The EBacc average point score is 3.48, and 13.4% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc entry.

Rankings provide extra context for parents comparing locally. Ranked 2,850th in England and 13th in Walsall for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the academy sits below England average overall, which is consistent with its England percentile placing in the lower band.

What this means in practice: GCSE outcomes are not the academy’s main selling point today. The more relevant question is whether the school’s trajectory, curriculum coherence, and day-to-day learning habits are moving in the right direction. The inspection evidence suggests leaders have strengthened curriculum sequencing and consistency, which is typically how schools improve sustainably.

A-level outcomes (sixth form)

A-level grade distribution shows 19.05% of entries at A* to B, with 0.79% at A*, 3.17% at A, and 15.08% at B. Ranked 2,444th in England and 14th in Walsall for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the sixth form sits in the lower band nationally.

For families considering sixth form, the key implication is fit. The sixth form offer places a strong emphasis on structure, study habits, and progression planning. That can be a good match for students who want a smaller post-16 setting with close oversight, particularly if they value clear expectations and routine.

Parents comparing performance with nearby options may find it helpful to use the FindMySchool Local Hub Comparison Tool to view GCSE and A-level indicators side-by-side, rather than relying on reputation alone.

The most useful teaching signal here is curriculum sequencing. The latest inspection describes an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum and gives an example of pupils building from Year 9 knowledge into Year 10 learning in history, which is a classic sign of joined-up planning rather than isolated units.

The same source also identifies the improvement edge. Some teachers do not consistently provide enough opportunities for pupils to deepen understanding, and assessment practice is uneven, with gaps sometimes not identified early enough. For parents, the implication is straightforward: students who are already organised and proactive will tend to benefit more quickly; those who rely heavily on teacher prompting may need additional support and strong home routines.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority, delivered through structured sessions and whole-class texts, with additional help targeted at pupils who need it. That is a sensible focus for an 11 to 18 school because reading fluency affects performance across every subject, not just English.

SEND support is embedded into the mainstream model rather than treated as a separate track. Inspection evidence highlights effective identification and teacher use of pupil profiles, alongside curriculum adaptation that enables pupils with SEND to learn key knowledge successfully.

The sixth form and post-16 planning matter here, because the academy serves students through to 18 and publishes a clear narrative about preparing students for multiple pathways.

Oxbridge and high-tariff signals

In the available reporting period, 11 students applied to Oxford and Cambridge combined, 1 offer was received, and 1 student accepted a place (Cambridge). That is not an “Oxbridge pipeline”, but it does demonstrate that the academy supports ambitious applicants when the individual fit is right.

Broader destinations

For the 2023/24 leavers cohort (cohort size 64), 61% progressed to university, 16% entered employment, 5% went into further education, and 2% started apprenticeships.

The implication for parents is that outcomes are mixed in the constructive sense: students are not funnelled into a single destination. That can suit families who want a sixth form that takes employment and apprenticeships seriously alongside university routes.

For Year 7 entry, applications are coordinated by Walsall Council rather than made directly to the academy. For September 2026 entry, the council’s published timeline sets out a clear process: applications open on 1 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025; offers are issued on 2 March 2026.

The council also publishes guidance on late applications and a phased timeline for later offers, waiting list positions, and appeals hearings. This matters if you are moving into the area or your child’s circumstances change after the main deadline.

The academy promotes open events as part of the decision process, with a published example of an open evening held on Thursday 18 September 2025. For 2026 and beyond, treat that as an indicative seasonal pattern rather than a future date; schools often repeat open evenings around September, but families should check the academy’s current listings.

In terms of demand, recent published admissions figures show 374 applications for 216 offers, which equates to around 1.73 applications per place. That signals oversubscription rather than extreme competition, and it is consistent with the need to make realistic preferences across your application.

If you are considering admission based on proximity, FindMySchoolMap Search can help you check the practical reality of distance compared with historic offer patterns across nearby schools. This is still a useful exercise even when distance cut-offs are not prominently published for a particular school.

The academy’s stated wellbeing offer includes trained mental health first aiders, counselling, a sensory room, and targeted support such as anxiety workshops. That is a substantial set of inputs for a mainstream secondary and it indicates a recognition that attendance, behaviour, and learning outcomes are strongly linked to emotional readiness.

Inspection evidence supports the basic reassurance most parents want: pupils report feeling safe and bullying is addressed swiftly when it occurs. Safeguarding culture is described as embedded and effective, with staff training and prompt escalation to external agencies when needed.

For pupils with SEND, the academy describes an inclusive mainstream approach, with early identification of barriers and adapted teaching. While families should always test the lived reality through meetings and visits, the formal documentation and inspection narrative align in pointing to a school that takes SEND practice seriously.

Extracurricular life is one of the academy’s clearer strengths, because the evidence is specific rather than generic.

The latest inspection references clubs such as karaoke, chess, and jewellery making, alongside participation in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and curriculum-linked trips such as a Year 11 visit to Poetry Live in Birmingham. The value of those examples is that they show variety: performance, strategy games, creative making, and structured personal development.

Sport and arts enrichment are also visible in academy publications. Examples include competitive badminton and a dance workshop delivered with a professional dance company, which suggests the school is willing to bring external expertise into student experiences rather than keeping enrichment entirely internal.

Facilities support that breadth. The academy prospectus references a swimming pool, astro turf, a theatre, a double-sized sports hall, and computer suites. For parents, the practical implication is that enrichment is more likely to be sustained when the physical infrastructure exists on-site.

The academy publishes an Academy Day structure with a morning form period beginning at 08:35 and an end of day at 15:10 for Years 7 and 8, and 15:15 for Years 9 to 13. Separate attendance guidance indicates expectations around punctual morning arrival, reinforcing the importance of routines, especially for students transitioning from Year 6.

In travel terms, the school’s Primley Avenue location is within Walsall’s urban transport network, so most families will rely on walking routes, bus services, or short car journeys depending on where they live. If you are uncertain about the daily commute, it is worth trialling the route at peak time before making firm decisions.

• Performance context. GCSE and A-level indicators sit below England average overall, so families seeking a strongly results-led environment may want to compare options carefully and ask direct questions about improvement priorities and subject-level consistency.

• Teaching consistency. External evidence highlights strong curriculum planning but also notes uneven practice around depth of learning and checking understanding. This can matter most for students who need frequent feedback loops.

• Leadership structure. The academy has both an executive leadership layer and a Head of School model, with Mrs Laura Wilson’s appointment announced in November 2024. That can be beneficial for capacity and support, but parents may want clarity on who handles which decisions day-to-day.

West Walsall E-ACT Academy is a Good-rated 11 to 18 school with a clear community identity, concrete enrichment examples, and a sixth form that takes multiple progression routes seriously. The strongest evidence points to a safe environment, purposeful routines, and structured curriculum planning, with improvement work still needed to make classroom practice consistently deep and responsive.

Who it suits

families in Walsall seeking a stable, mainstream secondary with visible enrichment, a broad sixth form offer, and an approach that values routes into employment and apprenticeships alongside university.