One in five Sandwell school applications are from outside borough
A fifth of parents who have applied for their children to go to secondary schools in Sandwell from September are from outside the borough.
More than 1,000 applications came into Sandwell Council from other areas at a time when the borough is struggling for school places.
A quarter of pupils missed out on their first-choice secondary school in 2016, with the pressure from outside the borough making the competition for places even harder.
Council leader Steve Eling said it was a concern so many parents who don't live in the area were potentially taking school places of those on the doorstep.
Sandwell has faced huge pressure over school places in recent years, with a baby boom and increasing immigration putting its schools at bursting point.
Councillor Eling said: "Parents want to know their children can get a school place so this is a worry.
"People want to get their children in schools and are finding they are over-subscribed.
"Clearly we have some schools on the border so we will always have some applications from people who live just over the border.
"Not all of them are successful but it does add to the pressure for the provision of secondary school places.
"There is a huge pressure now from this bulge in the number of children at secondary schools.
"We have provided money for new classrooms at primaries and those children are now moving onto secondary schools."
The new Q3 Academy opened in Oldbury last September in a bid to ease pressure on school places.
Figures showed a total of 5,090 applications had been made for Sandwell secondary school for September 2017 so far. Of that total, 1,128 were from outside the borough.
Last year, a quarter of Year 7 children missed out on their top choice of secondary school – some 942 youngsters.
