Admissions

The Westwood Academy accepts pupils from across Coventry and some pupils join us from Warwickshire, Solihull, Birmingham and Leicestershire. 

The majority of pupils will join Westwood do so at the beginning of the academic year and the majority will start with us in Year 7 but we can accept in year transfers at any time, as long as we have pupil places in the appropriate year. Pupils can also transfer to Westwood just prior to changing key stage should this be required, for example at the mid to end of Year 9 just before commencing GCSE’s and option choices. 

For the academic year 2021 - 2024 Governors have increased the Planned Admission Number (PAN) to 187 – this is a temporary increase for the academic years September 2021 – August 2024 only. This is due to the increase in numbers of secondary age pupils throughout Coventry. From September 2024 the school will revert to its original Pan of 157 per year.

Admissions Process

All admissions for Westwood are managed on our behalf by the Admissions Team at Coventry City Council; this process is known as the coordinated scheme and is used by the majority of schools within Coventry – you can access the online process and online application form (sometimes called the Common Application form or CAF) at this link - Secondary school admissions – Coventry City Council. In particular the section entitled Starting Secondary school in 2022 may be of particular interest and contains links to information booklets which we have also uploaded to the school website (please see the list of uploaded documents at the foot of this page). The online application form is the easiest and most secure option for parents wishing to apply for a place at Westwood.

Applications outside the normal admissions round

An application outside of the normal admission round is sometimes referred to as an ‘in-year’ admission application. This includes all admissions at other times, other than the usual transfer process to Year 7. All admissions including in year admissions are administered for the Westwood Academy by the Admissions Team at Coventry City Council as part of their coordinated Admissions scheme for schools across the city.

Pupils usually start school at the beginning of the school year in September, however sometimes your child will need to start or change school after this because:

• You move house, either within or into Coventry.
• You want your child to change schools for other reasons

Please refer to the specific section for ‘in year admissions’ on the Coventry Admissions website; you can follow the link here to the specific page relating to In Year admissions Secondary school in-year admissions - About your child - Coventry City Council

coventry city council - parent's guide - applying for a school place online

An application must be made via the online process of Local Authority who co-ordinate all such applications on the schools behalf. Applicants refused a place will be offered the right of appeal.

For parents who are either thinking of changing their child’s school or wish to join us directly from primary school we recommend a tour of our school and our excellent facilities and the opportunity to meet with a member of our Leadership Team prior to completion of the transfer documentation. There is also a further opportunity to attend our vibrant and informative Open Evening which takes place in September annually. Although we are an academy our admissions are still processed by the local authority and it is the Local Authority who will write to parents regarding school finalised and agreed admissions for our school and any appeal will be heard by an independent panel arranged by our Multi Academy Trust Lead School – Kenilworth School & Sixth Form (known as Kenilworth Multi Academy trust or KMAT).

What catchment area is my house in?

Please refer to the catchment area map located below and also the link to the Coventry Admissions online catchment area checking tool. Simply enter your street name to find out which primary and secondary school catchment areas cover your home.

If more than one school is listed for your street, you can each school's listings for specific house numbers or names.

Catchment areas – Coventry City Council

Admission Appeals

The Westwood Academy is a secondary school for children aged 11 18 which is based in Canley, Coventry, England.

For more information on the process and the timetable please read the Admissions Appeals document which can be found at the foot of this page  

Most of our pupils have attended one of these Primary Schools. In addition some children living in our catchment area have attended other local Primary Schools (e.g. Stivichall). For a list of catchment area roads please read the catchment area information document at the bottom of this page. However you do not need to live within the catchment area to apply for a place at The Westwood Academy, we warmly welcome applications from across the city. We have strong links with our family of schools. Staff from The Westwood Academy visit primary schools and teach in them on a regular basis. These curriculum links are reinforced by regular meetings between the Head Teachers of the schools concerned and by joint in-service training events for the teachers at the schools. This level of co-operation is very important when it comes to ensuring that children move smoothly between Primary and Secondary School and that we at The Westwood Academy can build on the progress your child has made in Years 1 to 6.

Joining us at The Westwood Academy

During your child’s final year at Primary school you will receive an invitation to The Westwood Academy’s Open Events, held during September and October annually.  You are, of course, welcome to visit our school at any time, but during the late summer and Autumn Term all parents of Year 5 pupils in our feeder and local Primary schools receive personal invitations to specific events such as the Open Evening, coffee morning, sports events and personal tour days. At our open events you will have the chance to meet the Leadership Team, school governors and teaching staff and be able to discuss aspects of the curriculum which interest you and your son or daughter.  You can view our excellent facilities, and, of course, you can see many examples of our pupils work.

During our calendared open events, pupils are available to show you round and to tell you about the school.  In the autumn term you will receive official transfer documents from the Local Authority (LA) inviting you to select your preferred Secondary school.  Your child’s Primary school will also organise meetings to discuss transfer to Secondary education.  Obviously, we hope that you will feel confident about entrusting your child’s secondary education to us.  We care for every child as an individual and strive to meet children’s needs so that they achieve the highest possible academic standards that they are capable of.  The Local Authority informs the Secondary school of its prospective pupils in the Spring Term, and we then keep in close contact with our new parents for the rest of Year 6.  Our Leadership Team, head of Year 7 and members of our SEND team visit your child’s Primary school.  They meet the children and begin to get to know them.  They talk to their teachers about the progress each child has made and what their particular needs are, we also arrange lessons taught by our staff both in your child’s primary school and at Westwood.  In this way your child comes to know a number of our teaching staff before they join us in September.  Discussions take place with Primary school teachers to decide your child’s mentor group at The Westwood Academy and all decisions are made are in the best interests of your child.

Groups of Year 6 children from our partner Primary schools are invited to The Westwood Academy for lessons, enabling your children to begin to become familiar with their new school.  During the summer term, those Year 6 children who have chosen to come to The Westwood Academy in September spend a whole Induction Day with us, getting to know staff and pupils in their new school.  During this day they meet their Head of Year, their Personal Mentor and Peer Mentor.  They follow a timetable of lessons and are told about the Academy’s Code of Conduct.  In this way they not only learn to find their way around the school but begin to learn what is required of them as a pupil of The Westwood Academy.  On the same evening all parents who have chosen The Westwood Academy as their child’s secondary school are invited to a New Parents Evening to meet our staff.  You will be welcomed by members of the Academy Governing Body and Board.  You will be introduced to your child’s Personal Mentor and can spend time discussing your child’s needs.  The Head, Leadership Team and Head of Year with responsibility for Transition discuss curriculum matters and the Academy’s vision for the future.

One of the great strengths of The Westwood Academy is that, for a Secondary school, we are a small school, currently with just approximately 640 pupils.  This means that each Year 7 pupil is known by name very quickly and we focus on their individual needs and stretching all young people to reach their potential from the outset.

On the first morning pupils in the Drama Theatre where the Head Teacher welcomes them.  They are then taken by their Personal Mentor (Tutor) to their Mentor room, where their Personal Mentor will discuss basic routines of daily school life.

These include:

• The Westwood Academy Pupil Pack
• The Homework portal – Show my Homework
• Uniform
• Timetable
• Academy Code of Conduct

After spending the first part of the morning with their Personal Mentor, pupils move on to their first lesson armed with the knowledge that their Personal Mentor, Head of Year, Peer Mentors and all other members of staff are there to help them.