Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls

Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls is a state grammar school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. It is one of eight Birmingham grammar schools that share a common entrance test, set by GL Assessment, so families across the city and beyond can apply.

The school has 180 places in Year 7 and, unlike some of its sister schools, has no catchment area or residence requirement at all. Its own admission arrangements state that entry is decided solely by Entrance Test score, so every applicant is judged on the same footing regardless of where they live.

Places are offered strictly in order of standardised score once a girl reaches the qualifying mark, with looked-after and previously looked-after children considered first, then Pupil Premium-eligible applicants (capped at no more than 36 places), then all other qualifying applicants by score. Where scores tie for the final place, distance from home to school is the tie-break.

Key information for 2027: Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: State grammar school for girls, ages 11 to 18
• Consortium: West Midlands Grammar Schools (shared GL Assessment entrance test, one of eight Birmingham schools)
• Registration deadline: 4pm, end of June 2026
• Exam date: a Saturday in early September 2026
• CAF deadline: end of October 2026
• National school offer day: March 2027
• Contact details: Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls admissions page, West Midlands entrance test page

Admissions information for 2027 entry: Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls at 11 Plus (11+)

Registration for Year 7 entry opens in early May 2026 and closes at 4pm at the end of June 2026, via the West Midlands Grammar Schools registration portal. Your daughter will then sit the shared entrance test on a Saturday in early September 2026, with results issued by mid-October, ahead of the Local Authority’s National Offer Day in March 2027.

You will also need to submit your Common Application Form (CAF) to your local home authority by the end of October 2026, listing Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls among your choices in order of preference.

The published admission number is 180. Because there is no catchment area or residence requirement, admission is decided solely by Entrance Test score: places go first to looked-after and previously looked-after children, then to Pupil Premium-eligible applicants (capped at 36 places), then to all remaining qualifying applicants strictly in order of score.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exam at Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls?

To register your daughter for the entrance exam, you as her parent or legal guardian must complete the online registration form through the West Midlands Grammar Schools registration portal, before the end-of-June deadline. Registering does not commit you to Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls: you still choose which schools to name on the secondary application form in the autumn.

Because there is no catchment area for this school, you do not need to check that your address falls within any particular boundary; a strong test score is what matters.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls?

Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls does not set its own entrance exam. It uses the shared West Midlands Grammar Schools entrance test, written by GL Assessment, in a single stage sat once by every applicant.

• Format: two multiple-choice papers, each around 50 to 60 minutes, sat on the same day
• 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

Answers are marked on a separate answer sheet, which children should practise using in advance, as there is no writing task. English and verbal reasoning together carry half the marks, with maths and non-verbal reasoning a quarter each.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls exam

From registration in early May to the test in mid-September is around four months, which is enough time if you use it with a plan. Because places go purely by rank order of score, with no catchment to fall back on, the aim is to push your daughter’s score as high as it will comfortably go, not just to reach the qualifying mark.

Little and often practice on verbal and non-verbal reasoning through May and June works well, since these question types are the least familiar to most Year 5 pupils, moving to full timed practice papers under exam conditions over the summer holidays, with time built in afterwards to correct whatever the marking reveals.

For Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls (West Midlands Grammar Schools) 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: