Birmingham 11+ Results 2026: What Your Child's Score Means and What to Do Before 31 October
Scores for the Birmingham grammar school test arrive by Friday 16 October. Parents then have just over a fortnight to finalise their school preferences. Here is a calm, practical guide to reading the result and making the decision well.
The fortnight that matters
If your child sat the West Midlands Grammar Schools (11 plus) test on Saturday 12 September, their score will reach you by Friday 16 October. Your local authority preference form must be submitted by 31 October, and offers are made on 1 March 2027.
That leaves roughly two weeks between knowing the score and committing to a list of schools. It is not long, but it is enough – provided you understand what the number in front of you actually means.
What the score is – and what it isn't
The test, set by GL Assessment, is used by all eight Birmingham grammar schools and by the wider partnership of 19 grammar schools across the West Midlands. It is entirely multiple choice and covers English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning. English and verbal reasoning together carry half the weight; maths and non-verbal reasoning carry a quarter each.
You will receive a single combined score, standardised for age. That means a child born in August is not disadvantaged against a classmate born almost a year earlier.
Two questions parents often ask. First, the King Edward VI Foundation does not release raw marks, or tell you how many marks were available. Second, it does not re-mark: answer sheets are scanned and marked by computer, so a re-mark would simply produce the same number. Your energy is far better spent on the preference form than on hoping for a recount.
The two numbers to know: 205 and 224
For September 2027 entry:
205 is the qualifying score for all eight Birmingham grammar schools. If your child scores below 205 they will not be considered, and the Foundation is clear that you should not list a Birmingham grammar school on your preference form.
224 is the priority score for the six King Edward VI grammar schools. A child who reaches it and lives within a school's catchment area moves into a higher admissions category for that school.
Qualifying is not the same as being offered a place. Each school works through its own admissions categories in order. At the six King Edward VI schools, that means looked-after and previously looked-after children first; then Pupil Premium applicants – those living in the school's catchment area first, then those outside it, with a cap on the total; then catchment children scoring 224 or above; and finally everyone else, ranked by score.
The other two schools work differently. Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls has no catchment area. Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, however, has introduced distance zones for September 2027 entry. After looked-after children and a capped number of Pupil Premium places, priority goes to boys who reach the qualifying score of 205 and live within 12 miles of the school (measured in a straight line), then to those living between 12 and 20 miles away, and finally to those beyond 20 miles. Evidence of your address is required by 31 October.
The same test score can lead to very different outcomes depending on each school's criteria and your child's circumstances. So read the admissions policy for September 2027 entry for every school you are considering – policies change from year to year – and work out which category your child falls into.
How competitive is each school?
The Foundation publishes the lowest score offered in each category in previous years, and it is worth an evening of your time.
Take the final category – 'all other applicants' – for September 2026 entry. On national offer day, the lowest score offered was 216 at King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, 217 at King Edward VI Aston and 219 at King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls; 227 at Sutton Coldfield Girls and 229 at Bishop Vesey's; and 254 and 255 at Camp Hill Boys and Camp Hill Girls. At Five Ways, every place in March went to the priority categories; final-category places came later through the waiting list, reaching a score of 250 by September.
Bishop Vesey's figures need particular care this year. They were set when admission was by score alone, so they are unlikely to predict where offers fall under the new distance zones.
Three words of caution:
Cut-offs move. They depend on each year's cohort, so treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Find the right row. Identify your child's category first, then look at the figures for that category – not the headline number.
Waiting lists do move. The Foundation also shows the lowest score offered by September, which is often several points below the March figure.
Your preferences: three scenarios
A score below 205. This is hard news, and it will feel large for a while – for you as much as your child. Do not list a Birmingham grammar school. Instead, put your energy into the non-selective schools you would genuinely be happy with: visit them, talk to their staff, and look at where their students go next. A score from one Saturday morning in September is a snapshot of that morning, not a measure of a child's potential.
A score from 205 to 223. Your child qualifies. Look carefully at your category for each school and be realistic. In recent years, Aston, Handsworth Grammar for Boys and Handsworth School for Girls have made offers in this range in the final category; Camp Hill and Five Ways have not. For boys living within 12 miles of Bishop Vesey's, a qualifying score now places them in the main priority group, ranked by score. That is a significant change, but 12 miles covers a large area, so it will still be competitive – and nobody yet knows where the line will fall. If there is a grammar school you would love, list it, but make sure the form also includes a good school you are confident of being offered and content to accept.
A score of 224 or above. Check whether you live within the catchment area of any of the King Edward VI schools. If you do, your child is in a strong category for that school. If you do not, use the published scores in the same way as any other applicant.
If your child is eligible for the Pupil Premium, they fall into a priority category at every school – but only if their primary school completed the Pupil Premium form and you uploaded it when registering for the test. Children who became eligible after the test date are not considered for these places. Note, too, that the free school meals expansion from September 2026 does not bring Pupil Premium priority: children who qualify only for the new Universal Credit-based 'expanded' free school meals do not attract the Pupil Premium. If in doubt, check with your child's primary school.
List schools in the order you genuinely prefer
All local authorities, including Birmingham, operate an equal preference system. Putting a grammar school first does not harm your chances at any school lower down your list. If your child meets the criteria for more than one school, they are offered the one you ranked highest. A child who has achieved the qualifying score is also placed automatically on the waiting list for any school ranked above the one they are offered.
So resist the temptation to play tactics. List schools in your true order of preference, use all the preferences available to you, and include at least one school you are confident of being offered and happy to accept.
One further point: results are shared with grammar schools in Walsall, Wolverhampton, Warwickshire and Shropshire only if you gave consent at registration. Late requests to share results are not considered until after offers are made in March.
Talking to your child about the result
Children take their lead from us. Whatever the number, praise what your child did – the months of preparation, the courage it takes to walk into an exam hall at ten years old – rather than the score itself. Keep the conversation short and the evening normal.
If the result is disappointing, let them feel it, then help them look forward. If it is excellent, celebrate – but keep a sense of proportion, because the real work of secondary school is still to come.
The result tells you which doors are open. It does not tell you who your child is.
If your child is in Year 5
For this year's cohort, registration for the test ran from 5 May to 26 June. Expect a similar window next year, but check the Foundation's published timeline rather than relying on memory – a missed registration deadline cannot be put right later.
On preparation, the Foundation itself states plainly that intensive coaching is not in a child's long-term interests. As a tutor, I agree. This test rewards wide reading, a confident vocabulary, secure arithmetic and familiarity with the multiple-choice format and timed sections. None of those is built by cramming in August.
With half the weighting on English and verbal reasoning, daily reading is the single best investment you can make. Add steady, well-paced practice, time to get used to the separate answer sheet (the Foundation's familiarisation booklet and GL Assessment's free sample questions are a good start), and plenty of rest. Achievement without anxiety is not a soft option – it is how children perform at their best.
Need a second opinion?
If you would like help thinking through your preferences this month, or planning a calm and sensible start for a child in Year 5, I work with families online across the UK. You are welcome to get in touch.
Dates and scores are taken from the King Edward VI Foundation's published admissions information for September 2027 entry, as at October 2026. Always check the admissions policy of each school you are considering.
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