Guide to Applying to Senior School

Your child will only need to sit one test to be eligible to apply for any of the West Midlands Grammar Schools.

Registration opens on: 9 May 2023

Reasonable adjustments deadline: 14 June 2023

Registration closes on: 30 June 2023, 4pm. It is not possible to register for the test after this time. 

Registration is completed online.

11+ Examination Date: 16 September 2023. It is likely that two sessions will be held (AM and PM) and you should therefore plan to keep the whole of 16 September free from other commitments. If the test is held over two sessions, your child will be allocated to a session and you will receive confirmation of this in early September.  

Results: 20 October 2023. The entrance test results will be sent prior to you completing your Local Authority preference form. Please note, this is not the offer of a place.

Preference form deadline: 31 October 2023.You must have applied for school places via your local authority by this date. You are advised to wait for the entrance test results before applying for school places.

School offer: 1 March 2024. 1 March or next working day is the national date for local authorities to notify parents which school their child has been offered. 

Further details and information can be found on the West Midlands Grammar Schools website.

The Test 

There is further information about the test, scoring, format and practice papers available on the West Midlands Grammar Schools website.

Application for Reasonable Adjustments 

Please be aware that the deadline for reasonable adjustments to the tests has an earlier closing date of 14 June 2023, and that there are additional forms which must be submitted. Requests for adjustments must be completed by this date along with all relevant evidence. Contact the Grammar School’s Admissions office to request the relevant form.

If your child has an Access Strategy Plan, extra-time allowance or other support at The Blue Coat School, do discuss your applications with our SENDCos, Mrs Hadley and Mrs Ashman. Additional documentation, which could have an earlier deadline, may need to be completed.

Sharing Results with Shropshire, Walsall, Wolverhampton & Warwickshire Grammar Schools

The entrance test in September 2023 (for September 2024 entry) will be shared by the grammar schools in Birmingham, Shropshire, Walsall, Warwickshire and Wolverhampton.

This means your child will only have to sit one test to be eligible to apply for places at any of the 19 grammar schools in the West Midlands.

The test will be the same across all venues and take place over the same weekend. Your child will not be allowed to sit the test more than once.

When visiting the West Midlands Grammar Schools website, you will be asked to provide your home postcode and child’s sex. You will then be directed to the relevant website to register for the test – this will be based on your home address. You will not have the option of choosing where your child sits the entrance test. The school where your child sits the test is simply a venue to facilitate the test – it may not necessarily be a school you intend to apply for a place at. 

National Common Application Deadline for all Local Authority Schools: 31 October 2023

The Blue Coat School is situated within the boundaries of Birmingham Local Authority. Pupils attending the school may, however, reside within Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Staffordshire, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire. By September 2023, Local Authorities will have updated their School Admissions information and Online Application Forms. Do spend time becoming familiar with and downloading documentation; especially the booklet ‘Secondary Education 2024’.

Birmingham Schools

Birmingham online applications

Dudley Schools

Sandwell Schools

Solihull Schools

Walsall Schools

Warwickshire Schools

Wolverhampton Schools

Worcestershire Schools

Contrary to the Local Authority websites, we as a school do not receive documentation about the Transfer Process or Preference Forms. All applications should be made by registering, setting up an account and completing the online Preference Form from your Local Authority. Although you are not obliged to submit an Application Form, you are advised to do so. Equally, you do not have to complete all six preference choices of schools, but you are encouraged to do this. (Worcestershire families are limited to three choices).

Special Arrangements

If your child has an Access Strategy Plan, extra-time allowance or other support at The Blue Coat School, do discuss your applications with our SENDCos, Mrs Hadley and Mrs Ashman. Additional documentation, which could have an earlier deadline, may need to be completed.

Application forms and admission details for entry in September 2024 should be available directly from senior schools in the Trinity Term.

Over the last few years, Blue Coat pupils have successfully taken examinations for more than 15 different independent senior schools, though for simplicity the following details relate to the main five: Bromsgrove School, Edgbaston High School, King Edward’s School, King Edward VI High School for Girls and Solihull School.

Scholarships, Bursaries and Fees

Many independent schools offer a range of Scholarships and Bursaries. If you are interested in being considered for a Financial Award, Bursary, Assisted Place or Means Tested Place, then this should be expressed at the point of registration with the senior school. Candidates will be considered for these awards if they perform well enough in the entrance examinations.

Additional application forms are required to be completed for Music Scholarships, and Mr Nicklin, as Director of Music, should be consulted.

Solihull School has an extensive range of scholarships available. They stretch beyond Academic and Music to include Art, Choral and Sport: information leaflets are available online, and please consult Mr Hegenbarth or Mrs Bennett. The Blue Coat School wishes to support you, but we can only do this if you make us aware of your applications.

Registration & Entrance Examination Dates

Some dates of these are still to be decided but we expect that they will follow a similar pattern to previous years:

The main elements that are assessed are: English comprehension and composition, and Mathematics. Depending on the senior school concerned, there may also be specific papers in Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning, but these are sometimes included within the English and Mathematics papers. Questions are written and marked by experienced staff. A discussion takes place as to whether a candidate is of an academic standard to thrive at the school, and a decision is made; results are normally known within 2-3 weeks. It is becoming increasingly common for there to be, at Open Events, presentations to prospective parents on the specific nature of the entrance tests; schools also publish on their websites guidelines as to what curriculum content may be required. Please be aware that both Old Swinford Hospital School and Bromsgrove School use computerised assessments.

Special Arrangements

If your child has an Access Strategy Plan, extra-time allowance or other support at The Blue Coat School, do discuss your applications with our SENDCos, Mrs Hadley and Mrs Ashman. Additional documentation, which could have an earlier deadline, may need to be completed.

Past Papers

Sample questions or complete papers, including some with answers, can be found on many of the school websites and are often provided at Open Events. During the Trinity Term of Year 5 and Michaelmas Term of Year 6, past papers form part of the English and Mathematics curriculum.

Interviews

These generally happen in the weeks following the examination. For Bromsgrove School and Solihull School, places are offered, and selected candidates are then invited for an interview, but for King Edward’s School, King Edward VI High School for Girls and Edgbaston High School for Girls interviews will take place before final offers are known. All Scholarship candidates will be invited for an interview, as will anyone who has applied for and scored high enough for a Bursary, candidates whose performance may be borderline, and those who are being considered for the limited Reserve Lists. All girls applying to Edgbaston High School are interviewed, as are their parents.

Supporting Information

As part of the Independent School selection process, we are asked to provide supporting information on candidates. This relates to three main areas: Academic Performance, Contribution to School Life, and Interests and Achievements Outside School. Thank you to the parents who have completed a short questionnaire to help with this.

Please refer to the School’s website as dates do occasionally change and pre-booking may be required.