The West Midlands 11+: one test for 19 schoolsThe West Midlands 11+: one test for 19 schools

The West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership lists 19 schools in three groups. The King Edward VI Foundation arranges the test for Birmingham's eight. Warwickshire County Council runs registration and admissions for the six Warwickshire schools. Each school's guide is linked below.

Both Newport schools are in the Telford and Wrekin Council area. No partnership school is in Dudley, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Solihull, Coventry or Sandwell. Wolverhampton Grammar School and King Edward VI School in Stratford are easy to mix up with partnership names: Wolverhampton Grammar School is independent with its own admissions, and King Edward VI Stratford is a Warwickshire school, separate from the King Edward VI schools in Birmingham.

• Provider: GL Assessment.
• Two papers. The partnership describes each as "approximately 50-60 minutes long", including time for instructions and example questions. The King Edward VI Foundation and Warwickshire County Council both say around 60 minutes.
• Four areas, in separately timed sections: English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics, and non-verbal and spatial reasoning.
• All multiple choice. Children mark answers on a separate answer sheet. There is no writing paper.
• Spoken instructions. Instructions, examples, practice questions and timings are played as audio.
• One section at a time. Children can't go back to an earlier section, or move on, until told to.
• A short break between the two papers.
• The same papers everywhere. Warwickshire County Council: "The same test papers are used across all authorities." The King Edward VI Foundation says the test is "the same across all venues".

Your child doesn't need to learn the rules in advance. The free familiarisation guide shows the format, and on the day the audio talks them through each section.

• Weighting: 50% English and verbal reasoning, 25% non-verbal reasoning, 25% maths. (The partnership, the King Edward VI Foundation, and the Rugby schools' policies.) Some Warwickshire schools' policies don't give percentages; King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon says its weightings are set by the school.
• Adjusted for age. Each section is standardised to take account of age, so the youngest children in the year aren't at a disadvantage.
• Scores are given as a standardised score. Queen Mary's Grammar School says results are released across the partnership "using an age-weighted standardisation around a median score of 200". Families get a standardised score, not a raw mark. The schools don't say how many marks each section is worth.
• There is no single pass mark. Each school, or group of schools, decides its own score, and they decide it at different times.

Who sets the score, and when (2027 entry):

• Birmingham's eight schools: the King Edward VI Foundation publishes a qualifying score for all eight, and a higher priority score for the six King Edward VI schools, before the test. Published by the Foundation. For 2027 entry: 205 (qualifying) and 224 (priority).
• Warwickshire's six schools: a committee sets each school's "automatic qualifying score" and a lower waiting-list standard, after the test.
• Queen Mary's Grammar School and Queen Mary's High School, Walsall: governors set a minimum qualifying score after the results, in November 2026.
• Wolverhampton Girls' High School: the school sets its qualifying score after the results, and gives it in the results letter in October 2026.
• Newport Girls' High School: a selection panel sets the qualifying score after the results.
• Haberdashers' Adams: "the required academic standard". The school doesn't publish a figure.

A qualifying score isn't an offer. When more children qualify than there are places, each school uses its own order: for example catchment areas, distance circles, Pupil Premium places, or score alone. Each school guide sets this out.

You register for the test in Year 5. Registering for the test is not the same as applying for a school place.

The Warwickshire schools' 2027 admission policies say the way you register depends on where you live, not on which schools you want. If you're unsure, check with the school you'd most like your child to attend before the registration deadline.

Dates for September 2027 entry (now closed):

• The Birmingham schools, and the Shropshire, Wolverhampton and Walsall schools: through the West Midlands Grammar Schools website. It closed at 4pm on Friday 26 June 2026.
• The Warwickshire schools: through Warwickshire County Council's Parent Portal. It opened on 7 May 2026 and closed on Tuesday 30 June 2026.

Your child doesn't have to live in an area to sit its test. Warwickshire County Council says eligibility "is based solely on a child's date of birth".

Share the result with every group you might apply to. When you register, tick the boxes to share your child's result with the other groups. Warwickshire County Council says that if you miss its deadline, the results can't be shared. The King Edward VI Foundation says late requests to share aren't considered until after offers in March. If you might apply to schools in more than one group, tick them all.

Shropshire, Wolverhampton and Walsall families: Haberdashers' Adams says you must choose that group when you register, or your child won't be considered for the school.

Pupil Premium: every school gives some priority to children eligible for the Pupil Premium, but the evidence and deadlines differ. Some schools need a form by the registration deadline, others before test day. Check each school's guide and policy.

Warwickshire's extra step: proof of address. Warwickshire County Council asks for proof of address in early December of Year 6. The council says it needs it by 31 December. Three of its schools' policies give fifteen working days from the letter instead. Without it, an application can be treated as late.

Start with what the schools provide. The partnership's preparing for the test page has a familiarisation guide and a link to free sample questions. None of the schools keep past papers.

Children eligible for the Pupil Premium can get free Key Stage 2 learning and test familiarisation through the partnership's chosen provider. The same page explains how to register for it.

The schools say they are not connected to, and don't endorse or recommend, any tuition provider. They also say intensive coaching or tuition is not in the long-term best interests of your child. They suggest you help most by not putting pressure on your child.

If your child is in Year 3, read Year 3: what actually helps.

If you choose to practise at home, NextJen is one way to do it: short, adaptive practice in all four areas, a lesson for every skill and a worked answer to every question, and full mock exams in the two-paper format described above. See how NextJen works.