King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls

King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls is a state grammar school for girls aged 11 to 18, based on Rose Hill Road in Handsworth, Birmingham. It is an academy within the King Edward VI Foundation, one of the largest groups of state grammar schools in the country.

It is a separate school from the nearby King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, with its own admissions policy and catchment area, though both schools share the same entrance test and, unusually, recognise an older sibling at either school as a valid sibling claim for the other.

With 192 places in Year 7, Handsworth Girls has one of the larger intakes among the Birmingham King Edward VI schools and is regularly oversubscribed.

Key information for 2027: King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: State grammar school (girls), Academy, ages 11-18
• Consortium: King Edward VI Foundation / West Midlands Grammar Schools
• Registration deadline: 4pm, Friday 26 June 2026
• Exam date: Saturday 12 September 2026
• CAF deadline: 31 October 2026
• National school offer day: March 2027
• Contact details: Rose Hill Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, B21 9AR, kingedwardvi.bham.sch.uk/about-our-school/admissions, westmidlandsgrammarschools.co.uk

Admissions information for 2027 entry: King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls at 11 Plus (11+)

Registration for Year 7 entry into King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls opens in May 2026 and closes at 4pm on Friday 26 June 2026, made through the West Midlands Grammar Schools registration portal. The shared entrance test is sat on Saturday 12 September 2026, with results issued on 16 October 2026, ahead of the secondary school application deadline.

You must also submit your Common Application Form (CAF) to your home local authority by 31 October 2026, listing King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls if you would like it considered; the order you list schools in reflects your order of preference.

National school offer day falls in March 2027. The published admission number (PAN) is 192 places. Once a place is offered, it is allocated through a detailed five-tier order: looked after and previously looked after children reaching the qualifying score; pupil premium children in catchment reaching the qualifying score, ranked by distance; pupil premium children outside catchment (capped at 25 per cent of places); catchment girls reaching a higher priority score, with sibling priority; and finally all other girls reaching the qualifying score, ranked by test score, then sibling, then distance. The qualifying and priority scores are published each year on the King Edward VI Foundation website ahead of the test; historic Birmingham consortium scores have sat around 205, but you should always confirm the current figure once published.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exam at King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls?

King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls does not run its own separate registration. As their parent or legal guardian, you register your daughter once through the West Midlands Grammar Schools registration portal, before the 4pm, 26 June 2026 deadline.

Registering does not commit you to Handsworth Girls: you still choose which schools to name, and in what order, on your Common Application Form in the autumn.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls?

King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls does not set its own entrance exam. Like every West Midlands grammar school, it selects through the shared entrance test set by GL Assessment and run for the King Edward VI Foundation. Your daughter sits the test once, and the result can be used by any West Midlands grammar school you name on your application.

The test is two multiple-choice papers, each around 60 minutes including instructions and practice questions, sat on the same day. Answers are marked on a separate answer sheet, so practising this format matters as much as the content itself. There is no writing task.

• English comprehension: a reading passage with questions, plus vocabulary and wider literacy.
• Verbal reasoning: word and logic puzzles not usually taught in primary school.
• Maths: the Year 5 curriculum at pace, rewarding speed and accuracy.
• Non-verbal (spatial) reasoning: pattern and shape puzzles.

Each section is given a standardised age score, so your daughter’s exact age within the year group does not disadvantage her. English and verbal reasoning together make up half the marks, with maths and non-verbal reasoning a quarter each, so time spent on the verbal side tends to pay off most.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls exam

From registration in May to the test in mid-September is around four months, which is plenty of time if you use it well. Because places are ranked by score within each admissions category at Handsworth Girls, the aim is not just to reach the qualifying score but to push it as high as your daughter comfortably can.

A steady plan works best: little and often through May and June on verbal and non-verbal reasoning, since these question types are the least familiar from school; full timed practice papers over the summer holidays, marked together so you can target the gaps; then easing off in the first week of September so your daughter goes in fresh rather than exhausted.

For King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls (West Midlands Grammar Schools) 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: