Skip to main content
Search ExamKind
Reading options
Colours
Reading comfort
Background tint

Saved in a cookie on this device only.

Free and independent. No ads, no affiliate links. Every fact shows its source and the date we checked it.

  • 11+ area guide

Birmingham 11+: the grammar schools' shared test

Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial Team

Some details are being re-checked

We check every fact against the official source on a schedule, and some details on this page are due their next check (last verified 19 October 2026). We'll update the page if anything has changed. How we check facts

The Birmingham 11+ at a glance

For September 2027 entry

  • The test

    West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test

    Written by GL Assessment, 2027 entry

    Checked, source: West Midlands Grammar Schools, checked

  • 205or more

    2027 entry

    Checked, source: King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham, checked

  • Grammar schools

    8

    In the Birmingham 11+ area

    Checked, source: King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham, checked

Your next deadlines

  1. Not published yet: Test registration closes

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

    For September 2028 entry. This is the test registration, not the school place application

  2. Next: School place applications close: Common Application Form ()

    in 11 days

    For September 2027 entry

Every step and date

Happening now

What's happening now

Children in Year 6 sat the test on 12 September 2026Birmingham 2027 entry: Test dateChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 12th September 2026 | Entrance test |View the official source, and results arrive by 16 October 2026“By” dateBirmingham 2027 entry: ResultsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 16th October 2026 | Results |View the official source. The next step is your secondary school application to your home council by 31 October 2026Birmingham 2027 entry: School place applications close (CAF)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 31st October 2026 | Preference form deadline |View the official source. As the city council puts it, apply to your home council as well as registering for the testBirmingham: Council applicationChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Birmingham City Council.The source says: Applying to sit an entry test is not the same as asking for a place at the school (an expression of preference).View the official source.

  • If your child reached the qualifying score, list the grammar schools you want in your real order of preference. Reaching the score makes a child eligible; places then follow each school's own rules, and many qualified children are not offered a place.
  • If your child scored below it: children below the qualifying score are not considered and should not list the schoolBirmingham: Below qualifying not consideredChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: If your child does not achieve the qualifying score or above they will not be considered for a place and you should not list the school on your child’s preference form.View the official source. answer sheets are machine-marked and not re-marked; no raw scores givenBirmingham: No remarkChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: We do not re-mark answer sheets.View the official source.
  • Pupil premium: check your school's evidence deadline on its page. children registered for pupil premium after the 12 September 2026 test date are not considered for pupil premium placesBirmingham: Pp late registrationChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: Children who subsequently become registered for pupil premium after the entrance test date of 12th September 2026 will not be considered for one of the pupil premium places.View the official source.

How places are given

Passing the test is the first step, not a place

Children sit the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test, written by GL Assessment. A score of 205 or more means a child can be considered for a grammar school place. Qualifying is not the same as being offered a place: each school then gives places by its own rules.

You apply for school places through your home council, on its Common Application Form (CAF), by its deadline. Name the schools in your real order of preference: councils look at every preference at the same time.

Birmingham 11+ pass marks and cut-offs, year by year

Step by step

The Birmingham 11+, step by step

For children starting secondary school in September 2027 (Year 6 in 2026/27).

Add to my calendar

  1. Step 1: Register for the test

    Done

    Sign your child up for West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test. This is not the school place application.

    Show the dates

    1. Done: Test registration opens

    2. Done: Test registration closes

      4pm

  2. Step 2: Your child sits the test

    Done

    The test day, and any practice test before it.

    Show the dates

    1. Done: Test day

  3. Step 3: Results

    Done

    You find out whether your child reached the standard, and how to ask for a review.

    Show the dates

    1. Done: Results

  4. Step 4: Apply for school places

    Now

    List your schools on the Common Application Form (CAF) to your home council, in your real order of preference.

    1. Next: School place applications close (CAF)

      in 11 days

  5. Step 5: Offers

    Coming up

    Your council tells you which school has offered a place.

    1. Coming up: National Offer Day

Year 5 now? Steps for September 2028 entryMost dates are only given as a month so far, so we mark them as expected.

  1. Step 1: Register for the test

    Dates not published

    Sign your child up for West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test. This is not the school place application.

    1. Not published yet: Test registration opens

      Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

    2. Not published yet: Test registration closes

      Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

  2. Step 2: Your child sits the test

    Dates not published

    The test day, and any practice test before it.

    1. Not published yet: Test day

      Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

  3. Step 3: Results

    Dates not published

    You find out whether your child reached the standard, and how to ask for a review.

    1. Not published yet: Results

      Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

All Birmingham 11+ dates, with notes

The schools

How far offers reached at each school

Listed A to Z, with the furthest distance offers reached in the latest year. Each school uses its own admission rules, so a longer distance does not mean a place is easier to get: distance only counts within the last rule a school reached.

Listed A to Z by school name.

  1. Bishop Vesey's Grammar SchoolBoys

    Lowest score offered: 210 (standardised score (WMGS scale)), 2026 entry

    210

    192 places, 2027 entry

  2. King Edward VI Aston SchoolBoys

    Lowest score offered: 239 (standardised score (WMGS scale)), 2026 entry

    239

    140 places, 2027 entry

  3. King Edward VI Camp Hill School for BoysBoys

    Offers reached 3.54 miles2025 entry

    Category 4 – Applicants achieving 224 and above and living within the catchment area · 120 places

  4. King Edward VI Camp Hill School for GirlsGirls

    Lowest score offered: 255 (standardised score (WMGS scale)), 2026 entry

    255

    150 places, 2027 entry

  5. King Edward VI Five Ways SchoolBoys and girls

    Offers reached 2.72 miles2026 entry

    Category 4 – Applicants achieving 224 and above and living within the catchment area · 180 places

  6. King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for BoysBoys

    Lowest score offered: 211 (standardised score (WMGS scale)), 2026 entry

    211

    150 places, 2027 entry

  7. King Edward VI Handsworth School for GirlsGirls

    Lowest score offered: 219 (standardised score (WMGS scale)), 2026 entry

    219

    192 places, 2027 entry

  8. Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for GirlsGirls

    Lowest score offered: 215 (standardised score (WMGS scale)), 2026 entry

    215

    Qualify with 205 or more

Source: King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham, checked Each school's own page names its source. Distances are measured by each school's own method, so compare with care.

More about the schools from our guide

Each school has its own catchment area, priority rules and tie-breaks; each school page explains them.

Live near a border?

  • You can apply for schools in another council's area. You still apply through your own home council, on its form.
  • Each area runs its own test, with its own registration and dates. If you like schools in two areas, check both registration deadlines.
  • Schools often give priority to children living nearby or in a catchment area, so check each school's rules before you rely on it.
Every area's dates

Areas in the same part of the country: Lincolnshire, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Wolverhampton

How the test works

Birmingham uses the shared West Midlands test: twoWest Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test: Paper countChecked 9 Oct 2026 against West Midlands Grammar Schools.The source says: Candidates will sit two papers, each approximately 50-60 minutes long (which includes time for instructions and example questions).View the official source papers covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal/spatial reasoningWest Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test: SectionsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against West Midlands Grammar Schools.The source says: Each test paper is divided into smaller individually timed sections that test:View the official source, produced by GL AssessmentWest Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test: Test providerChecked 9 Oct 2026 against West Midlands Grammar Schools.The source says: The test is provided by GL Assessment.View the official source. The West Midlands guide explains the format in full.

  • On the day: the Foundation runs the test day for all eight schools; test centre allocated from the home postcode; parents cannot chooseWest Midlands: Test centre allocationChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: You will not have the option of choosing where your child sits the entrance test.View the official source.
  • Access arrangements: requests decided by an independent panel of professionals; decision finalBirmingham: Reasonable adjustments panelChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: The decision of the panel is final and will not be reviewed.View the official source.
  • Cost: the grammar schools pay all test costs; the test is not to be used as a mockBirmingham: Test funded by schoolsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: All costs associated with the entrance test, including the test itself, are paid for by the grammar schoolsView the official source.

Qualifying and priority scores

  • Qualifying score: 205Birmingham: Qualifying score2027Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: The Qualifying Score for all of the Birmingham grammar schools for 2027 entry is 205.View the official source. It applies at all eight schools. Below it, a child is not considered.
  • Priority score: 224Birmingham: Priority score2027Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: The Priority Score for all of the King Edward VI Grammar Schools for 2027 entry is 224.View the official source. At the 6Birmingham: King edward schoolsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: There are six grammar schools within the King Edward VI Academy Trust:View the official source King Edward VI schools, children at or above it who live in the school's catchment area come in a higher category than other applicants.
  • Bishop Vesey's Grammar School and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls are not King Edward VI schools and set their own rules. Bishop Vesey's, for example, offers places in score order within distance zones.

Beyond the qualifying score, what matters is how far down each school's categories offers reached. Each King Edward VI school page shows its results and offers table for recent years, and our Birmingham pass marks page brings them together. Past years are a guide, not a promise.

Pupil premium priority

  • every Birmingham grammar school gives some priority to pupil premium applicantsBirmingham: Pp all schoolsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: Each of the grammar schools in Birmingham offer some priority to pupil premium applicants within their admissions policies.View the official source, but no extra marks for pupil premium; the qualifying score still appliesBirmingham: Pp no extra marksChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: extra marks are not awarded in the entrance test to applicants registered as pupil premium.View the official source.
  • Change from September 2026: from September 2026 only "Targeted FSM" (the £7,400 income threshold) attracts pupil premium; children eligible only under "Expanded FSM" (Universal Credit) do not get pupil premium priorityBirmingham: Pp fsm change2026Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: Pupils who will now be eligible for FSM under the Expanded FSM will not attract the pupil premium and will therefore not receive pupil premium priority within the schools’ admissions policies.View the official source. In the Foundation's words, Targeted FSM continues to use the existing £7,400 income thresholdBirmingham: Pp targeted definitionChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: ‘Targeted FSM’, which continues to be based on the existing £7,400 income threshold; andView the official source.
  • home-educated and independent-school pupils cannot be considered under pupil premiumBirmingham: Pp independent homeChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: Therefore, if your child is home educated or attends an independent school they will not be eligible to be considered under the pupil premium criterion.View the official source.
  • How many places each school sets aside, and who counts, is in each school's policy. Bishop Vesey's has two versions of its 2027 policy online with different pupil premium definitions; we have asked the school which applies.

Appeals

General information, not legal advice.

Appeals go to an independent panel after National Offer Day; each school page gives its own route and deadlines. The West Midlands guide explains what panels look at.

For the King Edward VI schools the Foundation says appeals generally succeed only with exceptional reasons; there are no guaranteesBirmingham: Appeals generalChecked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: Appeals are generally only successful if you or your child have exceptional reasons for needing admission to a particular school.View the official source. Its figures for the six schools combined:

Entry yearAppeals lodgedSuccessful
202560Birmingham: Appeals lodged2025Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 2025 | 60 | 0 (0%) |View the official source0Birmingham: Appeals successful2025Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 2025 | 60 | 0 (0%) |View the official source
202455Birmingham: Appeals lodged2024Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 2024 | 55 | 0 (0%) |View the official source0Birmingham: Appeals successful2024Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 2024 | 55 | 0 (0%) |View the official source
202375Birmingham: Appeals lodged2023Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 2023 | 75 | 1 (1%) |View the official source1Birmingham: Appeals successful2023Checked 9 Oct 2026 against King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham.The source says: | 2023 | 75 | 1 (1%) |View the official source

Official sources

11 sources: the council, the test administrator and each school

ExamKind is independent. We are not connected with any council, school or test provider, and nobody pays to appear on this page. How we check facts