Wolverhampton Girls' High School 11 plus: 2024 entry guide

School guide

Mar 14, 2023, 11:12 AM

Wolverhampton Girls' High School 11 plus entry guide

Are you considering Wolverhampton Girls’ High School for your child? We've collated all the information you need to know about 2024 entry to Year 7. Keep reading to learn about the grammar school admissions process in Wolverhampton and how to help your daughter excel in the 11 plus exam.

About Wolverhampton Girls’ High School

Wolverhampton Girls' High School is a selective school which aims to develop 'happy, confident and resilient young women'. Recognised among the best state schools in the West Midlands, the school has a history of providing outstanding education for girls for over a century.

Offering a broad and rich curriculum, the school combines high expectations with tailored support to achieve its excellent academic results at GCSE and A level. Wolverhampton Girls' High School has been rated Outstanding four times in a row by Ofsted.

Wolverhampton Girls' is part of the Consortium of Grammar Schools in Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton (SWW Consortium). Children only have to take one test to apply to any of these schools. From 2023, the testing process is also shared with all grammar schools in Birmingham and Warwickshire.

Address: Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton, WV6 0BY
Local authority: City of Wolverhampton Council
School type: girls' grammar
Headteacher: Trudi Young
Number of pupils: 1,151
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 81
A level results: 73.7% A*–B
GCSE results: 84.1% 9/8/7

Key info for Year 7 admissions

Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 180
Open day: May 2023
11 plus registration opens: 9th May 2023
11 plus registration closes: 30th June 2023
Exam date: 16th–18th September 2023
Exam type: GL Assessment (West Midlands 11 plus)
Exam results: mid-October 2023
Local authority application form deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024

Wolverhampton Girls’ High School term dates

The 2023–2024 term dates at Wolverhampton Girls’ High School are:

Autumn term: 4th September – 21st December 2023
Half term: 30th October – 3rd November 2023
Spring term: 8th January – 22nd March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 8th April – 22nd July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024

How to apply to Wolverhampton Girls’ High School

1. Register for the 11 plus

Before registering, speak to your child’s teacher to see if the 11 plus and grammar school is right for them.

When your child is in Year 5, register them for the 11 plus on the West Midlands Grammar Schools portal. Registration opens at 9am on 9th May 2023 and closes at 4pm on 30th June 2023.

If your child receives Pupil Premium, you should state this on your registration form and provide evidence. Your child will be prioritised under the school's admissions criteria.

2. Apply for school places

Once your child has taken the exam, you will get their results by mid-October. The letter will tell you if your child has achieved the qualifying score. If this is the case, you can include grammar schools in your school preferences on your local authority application form.

Before listing Wolverhampton Girls’ High School as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.

(Quick links for school applications: Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, Birmingham.)

What's on the Wolverhampton Girls’ High School 11 plus exam?

Wolverhampton Girls’ now uses the West Midlands 11 plus test which is provided by GL Assessment. It consists of two papers, each lasting about 60 minutes. A few minutes are allocated at the start of each paper for children to listen to instructions and complete some unmarked practice questions.

Both papers are divided into smaller, individually-timed sections that assess:

English comprehension
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning

The test is entirely multiple-choice format, with no writing sections. Children record their answers in a separate answer booklet which is marked electronically.

The maths and English questions assess your child's understanding of Key Stage 2 national curriculum content, including Year 6 objectives. It tests their ability to reason and apply knowledge accurately.

The reasoning questions assess your child’s logic and problem-solving ability. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are not typically taught at school. They are intended to measure how well children can spot patterns with, connect and manipulate written and visual information.

Learn about 11+ topics in depth

What is the pass mark for Wolverhampton Girls' High School?

Wolverhampton Girls' High School does not name a specific pass mark. After your child takes the exam, their scores are age-standardised and combined to give them a total score across all papers. The total scores are ranked in order.

The school then sets a qualifying score, which is the lowest score required for girls on Pupil Premium and Looked After Children to get an offer of a place. All other places up to the school's planned admissions number (PAN) of 180 are awarded in order of test performance.

As a general guide, we recommend aiming for a standardised age score of 116–121 when your child is completing practice tests. However, achieving a particular score doesn't guarantee a place at the school, as it may be oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools and looking at their oversubscription criteria.

Wolverhampton Girls' High School oversubscription criteria

When more than 180 children apply to the school, places are allocated in this order:

Looked After or previously Looked After Children who achieve the qualifying score or above are automatically offered a place.
The highest-scoring 25 children who receive Pupil Premium and achieve the qualifying score are automatically offered a place.
Other children are offered places in order of their test score. If a tie break is needed, Looked After and previously Looked After children are prioritised, followed by children who receive Pupil Premium, followed by those living nearest to the school.

Wolverhampton Girls' High School catchment area

Wolverhampton Girls’ High School does not have a catchment area. Children do not have to be living in the City of Wolverhampton to apply to the school.

Distance to the school is only used as a tie break for the last place in each admissions category. Distances are measured in a straight line from the school to the child's permanent home address.

How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus

Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for Wolverhampton Girls’ High School 11 plus.

Cover all the content

The 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives across the Key Stage 2 national curriculum and beyond.

We recommend that your child starts revising content at least one year before the test. Setting aside study periods using a 'little and often' approach will give them time to build the skills and knowledge they need. When preparing, avoid falling into the trap of over-focusing on either the topics your child enjoys or the topics they find hardest.

Atom Nucleus is an 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey to cover all elements of the West Midlands 11 plus at the right pace for them.

No surprises

Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of questions in the 11 plus exam. Building exam technique with 11 plus test papers will help your child to feel fully confident with the styles of questions they'll encounter in the exam, reducing the potential for stress on the day.

Celebrate their progress

Setting regular goals and celebrating achievements will help keep motivation high. Atom Nucleus offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress towards mastering the 11 plus curriculum, making it easy to see where they need to focus next.

Test your knowledge

Try answering some 11+ questions

Let's go!

Personalised 11 plus prep for your child

Wondering how to make sure your child covers the depth and breadth of the entire 11 plus curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!

Atom Nucleus is the award-winning online 11 plus practice platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for grammar school exams.

Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in verbal reasoning, English and maths. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.

Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.

Wolverhampton Girls’ High School 11 plus practice papers

Atom Nucleus gives children access to online practice papers. Our online tests are continually updated and designed to mirror the format and style of the real West Midlands 11 plus, so your child will go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.

And what's more, everything is automatically marked for you.

Try Atom Nucleus free for 5 days

Begin your child's journey to Wolverhampton Girls' High School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.

Start free trial

Personalised support for you

We understand how important this next step is for them, and for you. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have about the 11 plus or your local grammar schools.

Email us