The Birmingham 11+
Birmingham’s eight grammar schools use the West Midlands Grammar Schools test, set by GL Assessment and shared with Warwickshire, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Telford. A score of 205 qualifies for all eight, and 224 is the priority score for the six King Edward VI schools.
At a glance
- The test
- The entrance test for The Grammar Schools in Birmingham (the shared West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test)
- Set by
- GL Assessment
- Subjects
- English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning
- Answers
- Multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet
The papers
The shared West Midlands Grammar Schools test: two papers, each about 60 minutes including spoken instructions and practice questions (roughly 45 to 50 minutes of testing), with a short break between them. Each paper is split into separately timed sections of English comprehension, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal (spatial) reasoning, with instructions and timings given on audio; a child cannot go back to an earlier section. No writing: every answer is marked on a separate answer sheet. Results are weighted 50% English and verbal reasoning, 25% non-verbal reasoning and 25% maths, and age-standardised around a median score of 200.
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Dates, results and scores
When is the 11+ in Birmingham?
The 2027 test: not published yet. The 2026 test: Saturday 12 September 2026, in a morning or an afternoon session; an alternative day is arranged for children who cannot sit on a Saturday for religious reasons (supporting letter by 26 June 2026). Across the wider West Midlands partnership the test ran from 12 to 14 September 2026 depending on the venue.
How do you register for the 11+ in Birmingham?
For the 2027 test (2028 entry): not published yet. For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Tuesday 5 May 2026 to 4pm on Friday 26 June 2026, online through the West Midlands Grammar Schools website (requests for reasonable adjustments by 4pm on Friday 12 June 2026)
When do 11+ results come out in Birmingham?
For the 2026 test: Scores sent by Friday 16 October 2026, before the 31 October 2026 preference deadline; a score is not an offer. Offers come from the home council on Monday 1 March 2027.
What score qualifies in Birmingham?
Age-standardised score on the partnership's scale (median 200). For 2027 entry the Qualifying Score for all eight Birmingham grammar schools is 205, and the Priority Score for the six King Edward VI grammar schools is 224; both are published before the test. A child below 205 is not considered. Places then go by each school's priority categories: looked after and previously looked after children scoring 205 or more; pupil premium children scoring 205 or more (King Edward VI schools: in catchment first, then outside catchment by score; at Five Ways, pupil premium children outside catchment are offered places until 25% of places have gone to pupil premium children; Bishop Vesey's proposed 2027 policy allows up to 38 pupil premium places); at the King Edward VI schools, children in catchment scoring 224 or more, ranked by distance; then all other children scoring 205 or more, ranked by score. Lowest score offered in that last category on national offer day for 2026 entry (after waiting-list offers in brackets): Bishop Vesey's 229 (225), King Edward VI Aston 217 (213), Camp Hill Boys 254 (242), Camp Hill Girls 255 (242), Five Ways no offers in March (250 by September), Handsworth Grammar School for Boys 216 (212), Handsworth School for Girls 219 (215), Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls 227 (225). Raw marks are not given and answer sheets are not re-marked.
Not confirmed yet
- How many children sat the test: no official figure found (a tutoring site, Leading Tuition, claims about 4,998 sat the shared West Midlands test in the 2024 cycle; unofficial).
- Bishop Vesey's determined 2027 policy PDF on its own site could not be downloaded (403); its 38 pupil premium places and distance zones come from the proposed 2027 arrangements published by Birmingham City Council.
- Lowest scores offered for 2027 entry, not known until March 2027.
- Registration window and test date for 2028 entry (test in September 2027), not yet published.
Check these on the official page: kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/the-test
Good to know
Late testing and moving to the area
No registration after 4pm on 26 June 2026. Under the 2027 admission policies, children not registered in time may be tested only in exceptional circumstances and are considered after the main round of offers in March 2027. Children who sat the test and reached 205 stay on waiting lists for the first term of Year 7; from January of Year 7, waiting-list applicants are invited to a test at the school when a vacancy arises.
Who runs admissions
Each school is its own admission authority (six King Edward VI Academy Trust schools plus Bishop Vesey's and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls). The King Edward VI Foundation's Admissions Office runs the test for all eight as The Grammar Schools in Birmingham; families apply through their home council, which makes the offers (Birmingham City Council's coordinated scheme for Birmingham residents).
Grammar schools in Birmingham
Schools with a page of their own have their places, qualifying scores and priority areas, from their admissions policies.
| School | Town | Takes |
|---|---|---|
| Bishop Vesey's Grammar School | Sutton Coldfield | Boys, mixed sixth form |
| King Edward VI Aston School website | Birmingham | Boys |
| King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys website | Birmingham | Boys |
| King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls website | Birmingham | Girls |
| King Edward VI Five Ways School | Birmingham | Mixed |
| King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys website | Birmingham | Boys, mixed sixth form |
| King Edward VI Handsworth School website | Birmingham | Girls |
| Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls website | Sutton Coldfield | Girls |
More on the 11+
Sources
Every fact here comes from the official pages below. Dates and scores change from year to year, so check them there before you rely on them.
- kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/the-test
- kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/admissions-timetable
- kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/results-and-offers
- kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/pupil-premium
- kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/grammar-schools
- kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/in-year-admissions
- birmingham.gov.uk/info/20119/school_admissions/584/places_at_grammar_schools_in_birmingham
- birmingham.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/31076/king_edward_vi_five_ways_school_-_proposed_admissions_arrangements.pdf
- birmingham.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/31042/bishop_veseys_grammar_school_-_proposed_admissions_arrangements.pdf
- bvgs.co.uk/admissions/year-7-admissions
- westmidlandsgrammarschools.co.uk
- westmidlandsgrammarschools.co.uk/schools
- westmidlandsgrammarschools.co.uk/the-entrance-test
- qmgs.walsall.sch.uk/docs/admissions/Year_7/2026_mar_Admissions_FAQ_2027.pdf
Checked 2 November 2026.
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