ADMISSIONS
Click below for
2026-27 In-Year Admission Application Form
Admissions
King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys is part of the Grammar Schools in Birmingham admissions consortium and the King Edward VI Foundation family of schools.
All applications for Year 7 entry are made through the Grammar Schools in Birmingham admissions process. The Grammar Schools in Birmingham website provides comprehensive information on entrance test registration, key deadlines, admissions policies, catchment areas, Pupil Premium priority, appeals and waiting lists.
For further information about the School, our values, curriculum and wider opportunities available through the King Edward VI Foundation, please visit the King Edward VI Foundation website.
Year 7 Admissions
Admission to King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys is determined in accordance with the School’s published admissions arrangements and the requirements of the School Admissions Code.
The School’s Published Admission Number (PAN) is 150 students for entry into Year 7 each September.
To be considered for admission, applicants must sit the Grammar Schools in Birmingham entrance test and achieve the required standard. Places are then allocated in accordance with the School’s determined admissions arrangements and oversubscription criteria.
Oversubscription
Where the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of places available, applications will be considered in accordance with the School’s published admissions arrangements, which are reviewed and determined annually.
Full details of oversubscription criteria, catchment area priority, Pupil Premium priority and tie-break arrangements can be found on the Grammar Schools in Birmingham website.
Sixth form admissions
The school welcomes applications from boys and girls at age 16 years for entry into the Sixth Form. A limited number of external admissions is anticipated each year into Year 12. For entry into Year 12 in September 2024 this number is expected to be 10. Details of the procedures for entry into the Sixth Form are available from the school after the start of the Autumn term in the year preceding entry. Offers of places in the Sixth Form will be conditional upon academic results, capacity on chosen courses and satisfactory school report. In the event of over-subscription preference will be given to looked after children or previously looked after children; and then those who live nearest to the school (according to the straight-line distance between home and school).
Details of how to apply can be found in the Sixth Form area of the website.
In Year Admissions
Policy and Procedural Arrangements for In-Year Admissions and Waiting Lists (Years 7-11)
Year 7 (first term)
If a vacancy arises during the first term of Year 7, the waiting list in existence from 1 March of that year will be used and the place offered in accordance with the admissions criteria above. This is a list of those who sat the entrance test and who did not receive an offer from this school or a more preferred school.
Mid Year 7 – 11
At any point from January after the pupil starts Year 7, parents may apply for a place at the school. In-year vacancies normally only become available if a current pupil is leaving the school. Any applicant who cannot be offered a place will be added to the school’s waiting list and parents will be informed of their right of appeal. If a vacancy arises, candidates on the waiting list will be invited to take a test and the place will be awarded to the highest scoring candidate above a minimum standard.
The Academy aims to notify parents/carers of the outcome of their in-year application within 10 school days, and we will notify parents/carers in writing within 15 school days.
Parents/carers will need to reapply at the start of each academic year if they want their child to be included on the waiting list where a place cannot be offered.
The Academy will provide details of places available to the Local Authority within two school days of a request for the information. This enables the local authority to monitor availability of academy places in Birmingham and supports Keeping Children Safe in Education.
The Academy will notify the local authority of an In-Year application and its outcome as soon as reasonably practicable, aiming to do so within two school days.
Children referred for placement via the Fair Access Protocol must be allocated a school place within 20 school days.
Current Availability
There are currently no vacancies in any year group at King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys.
Due to the high demand for places, the School is normally full in all year groups. Parents should not assume that places will become available during the academic year.
Applications for in-year admission may still be submitted for inclusion on the waiting list; however, vacancies occur rarely and the School cannot offer a place unless a vacancy arises.
Should a vacancy become available, eligible applicants on the waiting list will be contacted directly regarding the next stage of the admissions process.
For further information regarding in-year admissions and waiting lists, please contact the School Admissions Team.
Applying for a Year 7 Place
All applicants must register to sit the entrance test by completing the Grammar Schools in Birmingham Test Registration Form.
In addition, parents and carers must complete the Local Authority Secondary School Preference Form issued by their home Local Authority. This form allows parents to rank their preferred schools in order of preference.
It is important that King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys is included as one of your preferences. If the School is not listed on your Local Authority preference form, a place cannot be offered, regardless of your child’s entrance test score.
How Offers Are Made
Each school applies its own admissions criteria when considering applications.
For grammar schools within the Grammar Schools in Birmingham consortium, offers are made in accordance with each school’s published admissions arrangements and the outcomes of the entrance test.
All schools submit their offers to the relevant Local Authority. Where a child qualifies for more than one school, the Local Authority will offer the highest-ranked school listed on the parent or carer’s preference form.
Parents and carers will receive one school offer on National Offer Day.
Further Information
For full details of the admissions process, entrance test registration, key dates, admissions criteria, oversubscription arrangements, catchment areas and Pupil Premium priority, please refer to the current Grammar Schools in Birmingham Admissions Brochure and visit the Grammar Schools in Birmingham website.
For information about King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys and the wider family of schools within the Foundation, please also visit the King Edward VI Foundation website.
- Grammar Schools in Birmingham: www.birminghamgrammarschools.org
King Edward VI Foundation: https://www.kefw.org/
ATOM Home
At the King Edward VI Foundation, we welcome children from all backgrounds into our schools.
As part of our efforts to further improve the accessibility of our schools, children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium can receive early access to our online support platform to help them to become
familiar with the kinds of questions that will be in the entrance test. We partner with Atom Home to deliver this support.
If your child is in Year 4 or 5 and has been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, please fill in the form by clicking the button below. You will be given free access to Atom Home for your child when their Pupil Premium status has been verified by their primary school.
Follow this link to access the form.
Atom is a fun, free platform which adapts to your child’s level. As a parent, you will be able to see how your child is progressing and keep up to date with new homework your child has been assigned.
2026 Admissions Timeline
31 October 2026: Local Authority Preference Deadline
Applications for secondary school places must be submitted to your home Local Authority by this date. Parents and carers are advised to consider their child’s entrance test results when completing their preferences.
1 March 2027 (or next working day): National Offer Day
Local Authorities will notify parents and carers of their secondary school offer on National Offer Day.
Please note that King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys does not receive information regarding applicants’ entrance test outcomes or allocations in advance of National Offer Day. The School is therefore unable to provide information about scores, rankings or offers before this date.
Parents and carers should await communication from their Local Authority regarding the outcome of their application. Following National Offer Day, the School will be able to assist with admissions enquiries relating to offers, waiting lists and appeals.
Further Information
For the latest admissions timeline, registration dates and admissions guidance, please visit:
- Grammar Schools in Birmingham: https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/
- West Midlands Grammar Schools Registration Portal: https://westmidlandsgrammarschools.co.uk/
- King Edward VI Foundation: https://www.kefw.org/
Note: Dates are published annually by the Grammar Schools in Birmingham consortium and are subject to change. Parents and carers should always refer to the official admissions timetable for the relevant year of entry.
The Entrance Test
The entrance test is administered by the Grammar Schools in Birmingham and takes place annually. Details of testing dates, registration deadlines and testing arrangements are published each year on the Grammar Schools in Birmingham website.
September 11th 2027 (TBC)
The entrance assessment consists of two test papers, each lasting approximately 50 minutes, with additional time allowed for instructions and administrative arrangements.
The papers are divided into smaller, individually timed sections which assess:
- Verbal Reasoning
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
- Mathematics
- Reading Comprehension and Literacy Skills
Applicants record their answers on a separate answer sheet by shading the box corresponding to their chosen answer. Answer sheets are scanned electronically for marking.
Test results are age-standardised to ensure that candidates of different ages are assessed fairly. Standardised scores are then combined in accordance with the admissions arrangements determined by the Grammar Schools in Birmingham.
Familiarisation Materials
Parents and carers who register their child for the entrance test will receive information regarding sample questions and familiarisation materials from the Grammar Schools in Birmingham.
For the latest information regarding test registration, key dates, familiarisation materials and admissions arrangements, please visit:
- Grammar Schools in Birmingham: www.birminghamgrammarschools.org
- King Edward VI Foundation: https://www.kefw.org/
Important Note
King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys does not administer the registration process or determine the annual test timetable. All entrance test registration and testing arrangements are managed through the Grammar Schools in Birmingham admissions process.
This final paragraph is worth including because it will save your admissions team time by directing parents back to the consortium for registration and test queries.
Practice papers
A range of publications designed to assist preparation for school admission tests is available from leading bookshops.
None of the schools keep past papers and these are not available from other sources.
Intensive coaching or tuition is not in the long term best interests of your child. The Grammar Schools in Birmingham is in no way connected to, nor does it endorse or recommend, the services of any organisation or agency purporting to offer tuition and/or revision courses for children to assist in preparing them for school entrance tests.
Results
Parents and carers will receive their child’s entrance test result in October. The results letter will include information on the qualifying and priority scores from recent admission rounds to help families make informed preferences on their home Local Authority (LA) application.
After receiving their test result, parents and carers should complete their Local Authority Secondary School Preference Form and rank their preferred schools in order of preference.
School offers are made by the relevant Local Authority on National Offer Day, which is normally 1 March or the next working day if this falls on a weekend. Parents and carers will receive one offer of a school place, which will be the highest-ranked school for which their child is eligible.
Parents and carers will not normally receive correspondence from schools that are unable to offer their child a place.
If you do not receive your child’s test results, please refer to the Grammar Schools in Birmingham website for further guidance and contact information.
Recent Admission Scores
The scores below are provided for information only and do not guarantee admission in any future admissions round:
| Admission Round | Qualifying Score | Priority Score |
| 2024 Entry | 205 | 224 |
| 2025 Entry | 205 | 216 |
| 2026 Entry | 205 | TBC |
Admission scores vary from year to year depending on the performance of applicants and the number of applications received. Parents and carers should therefore treat previous years’ scores as a guide only.
For the latest admissions information, please refer to the Grammar Schools in Birmingham Admissions Brochure and the Grammar Schools in Birmingham website.
Offers
Parents/carers MUST complete a Local Authority (LA) preference form. These are available from your child’s school or your home Local Authority.
If a school is not named on your child’s Local Authority form they cannot be offered a place.
Applicants are ranked according to their test score. Where children are equal on test score, Looked After Children (in Public Care) will be given priority and then, where children are still equal on test score, those who live nearest to the school (according to the straight line distance between home and school).
The rankings for each of the Grammar Schools will be passed to Local Authorities who will allocate places.
Your home Local Authority will consider your application to each of the schools you have named on the preference form. You may be able to name up to six schools.
Information on how places are allocated is given in your home Local Authority booklet or online. Please read the information very carefully.
All Local Authorities must now operate an equal preference system so, if your child meets the criteria for two or more schools, the Local Authority will offer them a place at the school ranked highest on the Local Authority form. Therefore, if you put a grammar school first on your Local Authority form, but your child is not successful in the entrance test, you will not put at risk the chance of them being offered a place at any other school you have listed. Your child’s application for other schools will be treated in the same way as every other application. For example, it will depend on the distance between your home and the school for most community schools.
For more information on the BCC Local Offer, please click here.
Appeals
Parents and carers whose child has not been offered a place have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel. Information regarding admissions appeals is available through the Grammar Schools in Birmingham admissions process and on the School’s policies page.
Dates for 2026-2027
Year 6 Open Morning TBC
Year 6 Open Evening
Thursday 17th June 2027 16.30-18.30
Prospective students and their families are invited to visit the School, meet staff and students, and experience life at HGS before submitting their secondary school preferences. [handsworth…ham.sch.uk], [eventbrite.com]
Sixth Form Open Evening
Thursday 22 October 2026
4:30pm – 6:30pm
Prospective Sixth Form students and their families are invited to explore the School, meet staff and current students, learn about our A Level offer and discover the extensive opportunities available within HGS Sixth Form. [handsworth…ham.sch.uk], [eventslist.co.uk], [linkedin.com]
Booking Information
Places for all open events should be booked in advance via the School’s website and Eventbrite booking pages. Further details can be found on the School’s website. [handsworth…ham.sch.uk], [eventbrite.com]