Sunshine Academy, Walsall
Sunshine Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Walsall, part of Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Walsall (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Sunshine Academy in detail
Getting a place at Sunshine Academy
For September 2026 entry, 36 families put Sunshine Academy as their first choice and 51 named it as one of their preferences, for 40 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Sunshine Academy are Leamore Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 73% maths); Field Road Academy (0.2 miles); Christ Church Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles); and Goldsmith Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 84% reading, 77% maths).
Leamore Primary SchoolField Road AcademyChrist Church Church of England Primary SchoolGoldsmith Primary Academy
The trust
Sunshine Academy is one of 9 schools run by Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
56.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bloxwich Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Blakenall Lane (after), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sunshine Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Sunshine Academy are Walsall Academy (0.8 miles) and Bloxwich Academy (0.9 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Sunshine Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2025. Before that, as Sunshine Infant and Nursery School (URN 104145), it was rated Good in December 2021.
At a Glance
56.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
20.6
Avg class size
21.0
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Sunshine Academy
Before and after school care
Sunshine Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Walsall
Term dates
Sunshine Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Walsall's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sunshine Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sunshine Academy is in Walsall; for families living there:
Apply to Walsall for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 51
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 11
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 40 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Sunshine Academy
Will you get a place at Sunshine Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sunshine Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sunshine Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sunshine Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Walsall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sunshine Academy for 2026 entry.
- How many families in Walsall got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
83%
Available places
150 pupils
180 places
30 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Walsall
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Walsall
Across Walsall council
Places available
3,855
Applications
3,340
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Walsall council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
23.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
150
Total Pupils
76
Boys
74
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
18.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,465
Mean salary
2026 data
Absence at Sunshine Infant and Nursery School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published for Sunshine Infant and Nursery School (URN 104145), the school Sunshine Academy replaced. There are no figures for Sunshine Academy yet, so these are shown separately.
6.4%
Overall absence
16.4%
Persistent absence
128
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Sunshine Academy
Questions parents ask about Sunshine Academy
What is Sunshine Academy's Ofsted rating?
Sunshine Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2025. Before that, as Sunshine Infant and Nursery School (URN 104145), it was rated Good in December 2021.
What is the catchment area for Sunshine Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Sunshine Academy is oversubscribed, Walsall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How big are the classes at Sunshine Academy?
Classes at Sunshine Academy average 20.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Sunshine Academy?
Sunshine Academy has around 150 pupils on roll. 57% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Sunshine Academy?
Apply through Walsall's coordinated admissions process, naming Sunshine Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Sunshine Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Sunshine Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Sunshine Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 40 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Sunshine Academy?
Sunshine Academy is at Blakenall Lane, Leamore, Walsall, West Midlands, WS3 1HF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)