ABOUT US
Shireland CBSO Academy
Shireland CBSO Academy is an exciting new non-selective secondary academy serving Sandwell and the West Midlands which opened in September 2023 to year 7.
The Academy has been developed by Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust in partnership with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and we are the first state school in the country to form a partnership of this kind with a professional orchestra.
Students are immersed in music at the Academy, while building their understanding of the key transferable skills and qualities that music helps to develop, such as empathy, self-discipline and collaboration.
Students attending the Academy receive a broad education covering the full national curriculum with an expectation that they strive for both academic and musical excellence.
We are determined that Shireland CBSO Academy represents the diversity of our community, welcoming all young people who have a passion or talent for music.
We look forward to meeting you.
"Students attending the Academy should expect to be challenged and supported in equal measure: We have high expectations of their conduct and commitment to their academic and musical development and this is supported by strong pastoral care... Our students benefit from some wonderful opportunities in their time at the Academy and I hope that these experiences create unforgettable moments that will remain with them for the rest of their lives."
Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust
Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust was established in 2007 and founded by Shireland Collegiate Academy, a three-times Outstanding school located in the Smethwick area. We have a reputation both locally and nationally for being innovative in our teaching methods and using technology to enhance levels of progress. We believe that everyone who passes through our schools’ doors deserves the very best that we can offer. We understand that each school is unique, but our emphases and expectations will remain the same. Nothing less than outstanding is acceptable. As of September 2023, the Trust family includes five primary academies, five secondary academies and two nurseries.
“As a Trust we were hugely proud to be asked to develop a new type of Free School and feel privileged to have create a School with a curriculum focussed around music in collaboration with the CBSO. The Arts enrich our young peoples’ lives in so many ways and the opportunity to create a school which nurtures the musical ability of the students in our locality is an honour. The partnership that is emerging between our Trust, the CBSO and Sandwell Local Authority is unique.”
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is the flagship of musical life in Birmingham and the West Midlands, and one of the world’s great orchestras.
Based in Symphony Hall, in a typical year it gives over 150 concerts each year in Birmingham, the UK and around the world, playing music that ranges from classics to contemporary, film music and even symphonic disco. With a far-reaching community programme and a family of choruses and ensembles, it is involved in every aspect of music-making in the Midlands. But at its centre is a team of 75 superb professional musicians, and a 100-year tradition of making the world’s greatest music in the heart of Birmingham.
