Atom Learning is partnered with Queen Mary's Grammar School. You can read more about our partnership here.
Applying to Queen Mary's Grammar School for September 2028? This guide covers the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test, the qualifying score, how the 180 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.
Number of places in Year 7: 180 (2027-entry figure — Queen Mary's Grammar School confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
Qualifying score: The governors decide a minimum qualifying score in November after the test, and the school gives about 200 for the latest cycle. Places then go in order of score, so the lowest score offered a place has been much higher: 225 for 2026 entry.
Catchment or priority area: no — but Pupil Premium places favour Walsall state primary pupils
Source: Queen Mary's Grammar School Admission arrangements for the School Year 2027 - 2028. Last checked October 2026.
Key dates for September 2028 entry
Queen Mary's Grammar School confirms its exact dates in the spring before each cycle. The windows below follow the 2027-entry timetable: registration ran from 5 May 2026 to 4pm on 26 June 2026, the test took place on Saturday 12 September 2026 and results were due no later than 16 October 2026. We'll update this page as soon as the school publishes its 2028-entry dates.
Key dates for Queen Mary's Grammar School 11+ entry in September 2028, with expected windows where the school has not yet confirmed exact dates.
Date
What happens
Early May 2027
Test registration expected to open
Mid-June 2027
Deadline for requesting special arrangements expected (4pm)
Late June 2027
Test registration expected to close (4pm)
Mid-September 2027
Entrance test, usually on a Saturday
Mid-October 2027
Test results expected
November 2027
Governors expected to decide the minimum qualifying score
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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Queen Mary's Grammar School is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.
Register your son for the entrance test during the registration window. Registration closes at 4pm on the deadline day, and the school says it isn't possible to register after that.
Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Queen Mary's Grammar School 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?
Queen Mary's Grammar School is one of the five schools in the Shropshire, Wolverhampton and Walsall group of the West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership. The partnership's 19 grammar schools share one entrance test, so your son only needs to sit it once.
The test is provided by GL Assessment. Your son sits two papers, normally about 50 minutes each. The school describes them as testing three skill areas: verbal ability (including reading comprehension), non-verbal ability and numerical ability. All questions are multiple choice.
The partnership describes the same test as covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning, with scores standardised for age so younger children aren't at a disadvantage.
For 2027 entry the test was held on Saturday 12 September 2026.
How are places allocated at Queen Mary's Grammar School?
If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 180 Year 7 places, Queen Mary's Grammar School 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.
Queen Mary's Grammar School oversubscription criteria in priority order, from the 2027/28 admissions policy.
Priority
Who it covers
A
Looked after and previously looked after boys who reach the qualifying score, ranked by test score
B1
Boys eligible for Pupil Premium at the time of the test who reach the qualifying score and attend a state-funded primary school in Walsall, ranked by test score
B2
Other Pupil Premium boys who reach the qualifying score, ranked by test score
C
All other boys who reach the qualifying score, ranked by test score, until all places are filled
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Pupil Premium places (B1 and B2 together) are limited to 30% of places, currently 54. Pupil Premium eligibility is checked at the time of the test, and the school asks for a form confirming it before the test.
Does Queen Mary's Grammar School have a catchment area?
Queen Mary's Grammar School has no catchment area. Within the Pupil Premium category, boys attending a state-funded primary school in Walsall are considered first. Otherwise places go in order of test score.
If boys are level on the order of merit, their positions in the three skill areas of the test are added together and the highest total is offered the place. If that still doesn't separate them, random allocation decides.
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 son 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 son 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 son feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures he builds skills in the right order, covers everything he needs, and avoids last-minute cramming.
Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your son's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics he'll be tested on. It shows him what to work on and when, adapts as he improves, and helps him build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.
That means less guesswork for you, less stress for him, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.
Build smart exam technique
As your son's knowledge grows, practice tests can help him 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 son will get new questions each time. This helps him practise without repeating the same content.
We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your son's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing his standardised age score (SAS), where he's doing well, and what he should focus on next. You'll also learn how he compares to other children applying to the same school.
Encourage regular reading
Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.
Encourage your son 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 him become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.
Over time, regular reading will broaden his vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts.
When you're supporting your son through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing he's moving in the right direction — not just how he scored on a single test.
Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your son is doing in each topic and the direction he's moving in. You can see where he's on track, where he 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.
