King Edward VI School 11+ guide

About King Edward VI School

Despite its small size, King Edward VI School has a long and celebrated history. Traditionally thought of as 'Shakespeare's School', this academy for boys has a reputation as one of the best grammar schools in the country. In 2020 it was named Secondary School of the Decade by the Sunday Times. It boasts high academic standards alongside a full extracurricular program. And it aims to provide a ‘secure, happy and well-ordered’ space for students to grow their talents.

How to apply to King Edward VI School

King Edward VI School is a selective state school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place in Year 7.

King Edward VI School is a member of the West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership. The partnership consists of 19 schools across Birmingham, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton. All 19 schools share the same entrance test. This means that your child will only need to take the test once – even if you’re applying to multiple schools in the partnership.

The registration portal for the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test opens on Tuesday 6th May 2025 and closes on Friday 13th June 2025. After registration, your child will be invited to take the 11 plus exam at one of the participating schools. They will be allocated a test venue and a slot to take the test in September. You’ll then receive your child’s results by mid-October.

To apply to King Edward VI School, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October 2025.

Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for King Edward VI School below.

How does place allocation work at King Edward VI School?

Your child’s marks in the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test are weighted for each section:

• English and verbal reasoning: 50%

• Non-verbal reasoning: 25%

• Maths: 25%

These weighted scores are age-standardised to ensure that younger children aren’t disadvantaged.

King Edward VI School will then set a qualifying score. This isn’t always decided until after the entrance test takes place.

If the number of children who have achieved the qualifying score exceeds the number of places available, King Edward VI School applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:

1. Looked-After or Previously Looked-After Children who achieve the automatic qualifying score or up to 20 marks below it.

2. Up to 13 places are offered to children who live in the outer and inner priority circles who are eligible for Free School Meals and who achieve the required minimum academic standard or above.

3. Up to 70 places are offered to children who live in the inner priority circle and who achieve the automatic qualifying score or above.

4. Children who live in the outer priority circle and who achieve the automatic qualifying score or above.

5. Children who live outside the outer priority circle and who achieve the automatic qualifying score or above.

6. Children who score below the automatic qualifying score, but above the required minimum academic standard for the waiting list.

King Edward VI School priority circles

The priority circles for King Edward VI School are based on circles drawn from the Fountain in Rother Street, Stratford upon Avon.

The inner priority circle is 13 miles and the outer priority circle is 16.885 miles to the county boundary south of Long Compton.

You'll need to submit evidence to prove that your child lives within the priority circles by the end of December 2023.