Admissions
If you would like your child to attend our school, please see full details of our admission arrangements below. For more information read our Admissions Policy.
Internal Admissions
Nursery Admissions
Applications for a Nursery place at St James Academy are to be made directly with ourselves by completing a paper application form available from the school office.
We have a 52-place Nursery - 26 children in the morning session and 26 children in the afternoon session.
We also offer 30-hours provision.
We offer a staggered intake in Autumn Term, Spring Term and Summer Term, once the child turns 3.
If you are interested in adding your child to the waiting list, please visit the school office for an application form.
Nursery - our offer from September 2025!
Nursery Offer at St James Academy
Walsall Admissions Policy
Please use the link below to apply for a Primary place:
Parent guide for online applications
Parents guide to Online Admissions.pdf
Applying for a Reception place 2026
If your child is due to start in Reception in September 2026, you will need to apply for a school place before the 15th January 2026.
To do this, you must submit an on-line application through the Primary Admissions web page of the Walsall Council website:www.walsall.gov.uk/primary_school_admissions
Primary Admissions- September 2026 Presentation.pdf
Reception
Children are admitted to school at the beginning of the Academic Year in which they become 5 years old, provided a school place is available.
The application window for September 2026 admissions is open from 1st September 2025 15th January 2026.
If you would like to look around St James Academy prior to applying for a place as your choice school, we are offering three open afternoons for 'new parents' where you can visit the school for a tour with the Early Years Leader/Head of School.
If you have recently moved to the area, (and missed the open afternoons) and would like to look around St James Academy prior to applying for a place please call the academy office and a visit can be arranged with the Early Years Leader/ Head of School.
We also offer a Parent Transition meeting where you can meet the Reception teachers, see the classrooms and have a welcome pack about St James Academy. If you are allocated a place at St James Academy you will receive a letter from us in May inviting you to this meeting.
For any more information please do not hesitate to contact the academy office.
Admission Criteria for Reception, Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2
The academy operates a maximum intake of 30 pupils in each class in Reception, Key Stage One and Key Stage 2.
The admission authority for Walsall community and voluntary controlled schools is Walsall Council. Admissions are administered by the School Admissions Team. Where the number of preferences received exceeds the number of places available, Walsall Council’s admission criteria are applied to all community and voluntary controlled schools. The admission criteria are shown below, in order of priority, for these schools.
Criterion 1. Children in Care and previous children in care.
Criterion 2. Children who have a sibling in attendance at the school or paired junior school, when the application is submitted and who will still be attending the school at the proposed admission date.
Criterion 3. Pupils for whom a place at the school is essential on medical or social grounds as supported in writing by a medical practitioner or social worker.
Criterion 4. Distance between the home address and the school as measured in a straight line with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.
Primary Admissions Information 2026
/Walsall_school_admissions_arrangements_2026-27.pdf
Mid Year Admissions 2025-26
Please see link below regarding how to apply for an admission place during the school year:
In-Year Admissions
Admissions_arrangements_2025-26.pdf
You can apply for the academic year 2025/26 between 1st September 2025 and 28th June 2026, from 8am to 9.30pm.
When you'll receive your offer
If you ask for an email notification in your online application, you will receive your offer by email on 16 April 2026. The emails are sent automatically over the course of the day.
If you apply late, we will let you know after 16 April 2026.
Late applications
Your application will be treated as being late if:
- we receive it after the closing date (15 January 2026)
- you change the name or ranking of a school after the closing date
We process late applications after the on-time applications. You probably won’t be offered a place at one of your preferred schools if you apply late.
Admissions to Secondary School for September 2026
Letter_to_Walsall_Parents_-_Secondary_Transfer_for_September_2026.pdf
/Key_Dates_-_Secondary_2026.pdf
/School_admissions_secondary_presentation_2026.pdf
Appeals for pupils in Reception to Year 6
All appeals are dealt with by the Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust.
If parents wish to appeal against a decision to refuse entry, they can do so by completing a form from the academy.
Appeals timetable
Appeals for September 2026 primary school admissions must be received by 21st March 2026.
Please see appeals timetable below:
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