West Midlands grammar schools 11+: guide for 2028 entry

At a glance

Test date

Exact date not yet published for 2028 entry. Haberdashers' Adams says the test will take place in September 2027. This year it depended on the test centre: 12 September 2026 at King Edward VI Five Ways, 12 and 13 September in Warwickshire and Monday 14 September at Haberdashers' Adams

Registration

Exact dates not yet published for 2028 entry. Haberdashers' Adams says the registration portal will be open from the beginning of May to the end of June 2027. This year the West Midlands Grammar Schools site closed registration at 4pm on 26 June 2026. Warwickshire County Council gave 30 June 2026

Set by

GL Assessment

Papers

Two, each about 50 to 60 minutes including instructions and example questions

Content

English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal or spatial reasoning

Weighting

50% English and verbal reasoning, 25% non-verbal reasoning, 25% mathematics

Key dates

For 2028 entry (test in September 2027)

The West Midlands Grammar Schools website covered Year 7 entry in September 2027 only when we checked. Haberdashers' Adams says that for September 2028 entry the registration portal will be open from the beginning of May to the end of June 2027 and the test will take place in September 2027. Exact dates are not yet published.

Source: Haberdashers' Adams: Join Us in Year 7

This year's dates (2026 test, 2027 entry), as a guide to the pattern

Tuesday 5 May 2026

Registration opened (as published by King Edward VI Five Ways and Haberdashers' Adams)

7 May 2026

Registration opened, as published by Warwickshire County Council

Friday 26 June 2026 (4pm)

Registration closed on the West Midlands Grammar Schools website

30 June 2026 (4pm)

Registration deadline given by Warwickshire County Council

12 September 2026

Test (as published by King Edward VI Five Ways)

12 and 13 September 2026

Test in Warwickshire

Monday 14 September 2026

Test at Haberdashers' Adams

16 October 2026

Results released, as published by King Edward VI Five Ways and Warwickshire County Council. Haberdashers' Adams said mid-October

31 October 2026

Deadline to apply to your home local authority for a secondary school place

Source: West Midlands Grammar Schools: Find My Test Centre

The two papers

One test for 19 schools

The partnership lists 19 grammar schools in three groups: eight in Birmingham, five in the Shropshire, Wolverhampton and Walsall consortium and six in Warwickshire. Warwickshire County Council says the same papers are used across all the authorities, and that families can choose to have results shared if they plan to apply to grammar schools in more than one area.

Half the marks are for English and verbal reasoning

The schools publish the weighting: English and verbal reasoning together count for 50%, with 25% each for non-verbal reasoning and mathematics. Scores are standardised to take account of age, so younger children in the year group are not at a disadvantage.

Dates depend on where you register

Registration is through the West Midlands Grammar Schools website, where you find your test centre. This year the test fell on different days at different centres and the registration deadline was not the same everywhere, so check the dates for your own centre and council.

What the schools say about preparing

The schools say intensive coaching or tuition is not in a child's long term best interests, and that none of the schools keep past papers. They publish a familiarisation guide and point families to GL Assessment's free sample materials.

Watches, timers and stop clocks of any kind are not allowed in the test, so it helps to practise without one.

Qualifying scores

Each school or group of schools sets out in its own admissions policy what score is needed and how places are decided. Read the policy for each school you are considering.

Five West Midlands-style sample questions

These are our own questions, written in the style of the test so you can see the level. They are not taken from any real paper. Tap a question to see the answer and the method. The real non-verbal reasoning questions use shapes and patterns, which we cannot show here.

What a Year 5 parent can do now

1. Read the Entrance Test Familiarisation Guide on the West Midlands Grammar Schools website together, so the answer sheet and question types are not a surprise.
2. Start short, regular practice in comprehension, vocabulary, maths and reasoning now, and add timed sets after Christmas.
3. Check the West Midlands Grammar Schools website from the spring of 2027. Haberdashers' Adams says registration for 2028 entry will be open from the beginning of May to the end of June 2027. This year registration opened in early May 2026 and closed in late June.

Free Year 5 baseline check: 20 questions in 15 minutes

How to prepare

• Read the Entrance Test Familiarisation Guide on the West Midlands Grammar Schools website together.
• Give plenty of time to reading, comprehension and vocabulary, as English and verbal reasoning carry half the weighting.
• Practise maths and non-verbal reasoning in short timed sections.
• Practise marking answers on a separate answer sheet.
• Practise without a watch or timer on the desk, as they are not allowed in the test.