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Applying to Haberdashers' Adams for September 2028? This guide covers the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test in September 2027, the qualifying score, how the 135 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.
Haberdashers' Adams 11+ at a glance
School type: co-educational grammar school with boarding for boys
Number of places in Year 7: 135 (2027-entry figure — Haberdashers' Adams confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
Qualifying score: The entry requirement score for 2026 entry was 205, or 195 for Pupil Premium candidates. The 2027 and 2028 entry scores haven't been published yet.
Catchment or priority area: no — priority goes to children at designated primary schools
Source: Haberdashers' Adams Determined Admission Policy 2027-2028. Last checked October 2026.
Key dates for September 2028 entry
Haberdashers' Adams has published an outline timeline for September 2028 entry: open week in the week of 15 March 2027, registration from the beginning of May to the end of June 2027, and the test in September 2027. Exact dates are confirmed in the spring before each cycle. For 2027 entry, registration ran from 9am on Tuesday 5 May 2026 to 4pm on Friday 26 June 2026, the test took place on Monday 14 September 2026 and results came out on mid-October 2026. We'll update this page as soon as the 2028-entry dates are published.
Key dates for Haberdashers' Adams 11+ entry in September 2028, with expected windows where the school has not yet confirmed exact dates.
Date
What happens
Week of 15 March 2027
Open week for children in Year 5
Beginning of May 2027
Test registration portal opens
Mid-June 2027
Deadline for SEND access arrangements expected (earlier than registration close)
End of June 2027
Test registration portal closes
September 2027
Entrance test
Mid-October 2027
Test results expected
Sunday 31 October 2027
Deadline to apply for secondary school places through your home local authority. This date falls on a Sunday.
Wednesday 1 March 2028
National offer day for secondary school places
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Haberdashers' Adams is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.
Register your child through the West Midlands Grammar Schools consortium's online registration portal, linked from the school's Year 7 page. If you want your son to be considered for a boarding place, the school handles boarding applications separately.
Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Haberdashers' Adams on your common application form, which goes to your home local authority. For September 2028 entry the deadline is Sunday 31 October 2027. As it falls on a Sunday, you may find it easier to submit your form in the days before.
Reaching the qualifying score makes your child eligible, but it doesn't guarantee a place. If more qualifying children apply than there are places, the school uses its oversubscription criteria, set out further down this page.
What will my child be tested on?
Haberdashers' Adams uses the entrance test set by a consortium of grammar schools in the West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership, which covers 19 grammar schools across Birmingham, Shropshire, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Warwickshire. Your child registers through the consortium's online form rather than with the school directly.
The test is provided by GL Assessment. There are two papers of about 50 minutes each, covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning. All questions are multiple choice.
Scores are standardised for age, so younger children in the year group aren't at a disadvantage. The school says results from the September 2026 test stay valid until December 2027.
How are places allocated at Haberdashers' Adams?
If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 135 Year 7 places, Haberdashers' Adams offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2027/28. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.
Haberdashers' Adams oversubscription criteria in priority order, from the 2027/28 admissions policy.
Priority
Who it covers
First
Children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) who reach the required academic standard are admitted
1
Looked after and previously looked after children
2
Children recorded as receiving Pupil Premium or Service Premium funding in the October 2025 school census, who score no lower than 5% below the general qualifying score
3
Children on roll at one of the designated primary schools listed in the policy by the registration deadline
4
All other children, in rank order of their entrance test score
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Every child must reach the required academic standard. These criteria are for the 135 day places; up to 15 boarding places for boys are allocated separately, with priority for looked after children, children of members of the UK Armed Forces and children with a boarding need, then test score.
Does Haberdashers' Adams have a catchment area?
Haberdashers' Adams doesn't allocate day places by home address. Instead, criterion 3 gives priority to children attending one of the designated primary schools listed in the admissions policy, which are in the Telford and Newport area. Check the current policy for the full list.
If two children have the same score, the school uses straight-line distance from home to the school to decide who is offered the place.
If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?
A longer or more complex journey can affect your child's daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest and after-school activities. It's a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.
How can I help my child prepare for the test?
The West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.
Stay on track with a clear plan
One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.
A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.
Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.
That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.
Build smart exam technique
As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.
Atom's 11+ practice papers are built to match the format, timing and question styles of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.
We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.
Encourage regular reading
Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.
Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.
Over time, regular reading will broaden their vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts.
When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.
Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.
That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.
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Take control of your child’s 11+ preparation.
Not sure if your child is on track for the grammar school 11+? You don’t need to guess what to cover or whether they’re ready. Atom shows you exactly what to practise each week and how they’re performing, so you can stay ahead of the process without the stress.
